Cold Dark Corner
by Tiara Peterson
Summary: There's a cold dark corner in the back of my room, it speaks to me and says I'm coming for you. Poem by Blake Duffy. John, Dean and Sam save young foster sisters, Nancy and Nicole, from ghouls that have killed their entire family. Starts in 1992. Rated T for mild language, violence and mild sexual situation(s).
1. Chapter 1

Long grass tears at the exposed legs of the girls as they tear through the field. Driven by fear and terror, all they could hear was the blood rushing in their ears as they ran for their lives. Nancy, the oldest and tallest, led the way with Nicole trailing her foster sister in the darkness. Their only light was the full moon and the velvet night sky sprinkled with stars, twinkling like diamonds. The cover of the trees was a welcome sight and Nancy, just about out of breath, all but dove into the even darker forest.

Nancy scanned the field, Nicole had been right behind her but she couldn't see the small form of the almost 7 year old. Nancy screamed in a whisper, desperate to find her sister. She couldn't hear anything over the blood rushing in her ears so she forced herself to slow down as her large blue eyes scoured the massive property.

She pushed off the ground and catapulted back into the grass at a marathon runners pace. Panting and crying to her left made Nancy stop dead in her tracks. Dropping to her knees, Nancy held her breath. The shrill scream of a child was like an air raid siren and she knew instantly that it belonged to Nicole. Nancy tore to her left and almost instantly found her younger sister clutching her teddy bear and working desperately to free her ankle.

Another scream tore its way from Nicole's throat at the sight of Nancy. Nancy held a hand out, the other lifted to her face, placing a finger against her lips. "Nic, it's me baby. Let's get you outta there."

Nicole stopped screaming but the tears wouldn't stop falling. She was shaking as Nancy ran her hands down her leg and worked to free the sock clad foot from a tree root that had worked its way out of the soil over 50 years ago. Just as Nancy freed Nicole's foot, the younger child screamed again. Nicole turned as a large and bloody hand gripped her shoulder. Nancy shoved at Nicole, pushing her away from the woman pretending to be their foster mother.

Frannie shoved the older child to the ground and straddled her, pinning Nancy's arms to the ground with her knees. Nancy screamed and struggled to get out, whining loudly when Frannie lowered her face until she was a breath away. Her breath wreaked of death as she spoke.

"Struggle all you want darlin', it won't do you no good. To be honest, it tenderizes the meat." From out of the pocket in her apron, Frannie pulled out a filleting knife and drug it, dull side down, against Nancy's forearm.

The almost teenager bucked as hard as she could and screamed for Nicole to run, as hard and as fast as she could. To be honest, Nancy didn't think they would make it out of this but it's human instinct to fight. The sound of the smaller feet pounding against the dirt was music to her ears and Nancy stared hard at the monster above her and steeled her jaw for the physical pain she knew was about to come.

The tip of the blade pressed against her wrist and was slowly drug up to her elbow, crimson blood bubbled to the surface. Nancy bit her bottom lip as white hot pain ripped through her, she wouldn't give the beast the satisfaction. Even though the cut was deep and blood seemed to flow like a waterfall, Nancy didn't utter a sound. Not until Frannie bent down and began lapping at the wound like a dog at its feeding dish.

Nancy split her lip with her teeth before letting loose a scream that ripped through the night sky, birds from the tall trees called out before fleeing the protection of the leaves. Frannie sat up and belched, her face and neck was caked in blood and the sight of her sucking clean a finger made Nancy gag. Just as the older woman pressed the blade against Nancy's other arm, a shot rang out in the dark and Frannie was no longer atop Nancy. Frannie screamed as she rose from the ground, her chest heaving as she scours the field.

A tall man steps out from behind the large oak. He had a 9mm aimed at the monster while he slowly unsheathed a machete from his hip. Someone grabbed Nancy's uninjured arm and she threw a weak punch in defense. Green eyes that sparkled in the dark night stared deep into hers and it took her breath away. "We have to hurry, come on."

He didn't wait for an answer before he pulled her off the ground. A towel was wrapped sloppily around her gaping wound before they sprinted towards the forest. Nancy, led by the slightly taller stranger, turned around just in time to see the older man bring the blade down upon Frannie, sending her head flying to the ground, joined moments by the rest of her body.

Nancy was ushered through the trees, led over roots and fallen logs before they came to a clearing and finally stopped running. She just about started sobbing out loud when her little sister looked up at her, sitting on a log next to a boy with a mop of brown hair. They ran to each other and clung to the other as if their lives depended on it, crying openly, not caring that two boys they didn't know surrounded them.

They didn't separate until the man that beheaded the imposter came lumbering into the woods, blade and gun sheathed. He clapped the older boy on the shoulder while openly embraced the younger one. He knelt down in front of the girls, his eyes were kind and voice was soft. "You girls ok?"

Nicole clung to Nancy, hiding her tear streaked face in the dirty New Kids On The Block shirt she wore to bed. Her arm was held against her chest, keeping the blood soaked towel in place. "I - I don't know, sir."

"Call me John."

"Ok, John. What was that?"

John looked over at his sons as they sat on the fallen log and debated on telling the girls about the ghouls that had killed their foster parents and the other children in the house. He placed a very large hand on Nancy's shoulder and stared hard at her. "Let's get you to the hospital."

Nancy felt like fighting, digging her heels in until she was told the truth but she didn't have the strength for it. The adrenaline and blood loss were taking their toll on her and she didn't walk out of the woods; John carried her while Nicole walked hand in hand with the younger brother.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

John was anxious as they sat in the waiting room with the little girl that Sammy had found. She was a couple years younger than Sammy and he suddenly felt so protective of her. They had saved hundreds of families and children since Mary was killed but something about these two tugged at John's heart. Nicole cuddled deeper against his chest, clinging to her tattered bear as she slept.

Dean walked in, adjusting the necklace he had gotten for Christmas last year. "Bobby's on his way, 15 minutes tops."

Sam smiled adoringly at his older brother as Dean sat down next to him, messing up his hair. "They gonna be ok, Dean?"

"Of course they are, Sammy."

Almost simultaneously, Nancy and her doctor walk out just as Bobby walks in. John hands the sleeping child to Bobby before reaching out to shake the doctors outstretched hand. "You her father?"

John caught a look from Nancy and he nodded, making sure not to let the silence stretch on too long. "Yes, sir. Thank you for patching her up."

"You mind if we talk in private?" His tone was almost accusatory but John followed him into the hall anyway. The young doctor pushed a hand through his hair. "How'd she get that cut?"

"We live on a farm."

The doctor opened his mouth to say something about child abuse when Nancy spoke up, sliding her hand into John's. "Can we go, dad? I promise to stay out of the barn from now on."

With a look that he learned from his sergeant in the Marine's, John didn't flinch at her words. "Yeah, darlin', let's get you home."

They pulled into the crowded lot of Singer Auto a couple hours later and piled into the small living room. Bobby carried Nicole upstairs while Sam trudged behind them. John sat down on the couch next to Nancy and answered every question she shot at him. Dean just sat in an overstuffed and ratty chair and watched his dad as he explained everything from day one.

There wasn't anything that Nancy didn't accept as fact. Demons and werewolves and the boogeyman, they were all real and this family hunted them down on a daily basis; making the world safe for people like Nancy and Nicole. In that moment, Nancy knew she had a new family she was going to be a part of. Her old one had been slaughtered and eaten for dinner, she had nothing to go back to. They'd have one hell of a story to come up with for the cops but she had a feeling that if anyone could get it done, it was John Winchester and Bobby Singer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Fall 1992 3 months later**

Court was over and Bobby was now the legal guardian of Nancy and Nicole, they had even taken on his last name as a way to erase that part of their past. It didn't take nearly as long as they thought it would, the fact that there were no living relatives that the courts could find to contest, helped. It also helped that Nancy was the oldest of the pair and she was deemed of age in the eyes of the law.

John, Dean and Sam were pulling into the lot just as Bobby, Nancy and Nicole started piling out of the powder blue Chevelle. The girls were laughing and giddy with the joy they felt at finally having a family they felt part of. Ever since John dropped them off, Bobby had welcomed them with open arms. He sat up with them when they couldn't fall asleep, quieted them down after they woke up screaming and crying and even went the extra mile in going with Nancy to buy bras and feminine products for that time. Nancy was beginning to love him like the father she never had. Nicole took to John more than Bobby, even started calling him Papa John.

John wrapped the girls in his strong arms once his large green marine bag hit the floor. Nicole wrapped her arms tight around his neck, almost squeezing the air from him. "Loosen your grip, little one. I'm glad to see you too."

"What'd you bring me this time, Papa John?" Nicole starts rifling through the pockets of John's large jacket, giggling when she pulls out a pair of large purple hair clips, a peacock feather adorns the clip. Nicole bounds out of the room and into the bathroom to fix her hair.

John smiles largely as the small child runs, her long blond hair bounces against her back. He turns to Nancy and pulls out a book she had been eyeing in the store in town, first edition of Little Women, autographed; it must have set him back more than he could afford. "Don't worry kid, it didn't break the bank." With a wink and kiss to her forehead, John joins Bobby in the kitchen.

Bobby hands John a can of beer. "How'd it go?"

John swallowed the ice cold beer gratefully. "Killed the demon, saved the family, same old same old."

Bobby nodded, leaning back against the counter. He watches Nancy as she plops onto the couch with Sam on the floor, pushing around some cars and Dean sulking in the ratty chair, his legs dangling over the arm. "You know, you could leave the boys here more often."

John scoffs, they've had this argument a hundred and one times. "They need to be out there, Bobby. I was actually thinking of taking the girls out..."

"Over my dead body!" The thin can crumples in his iron grip. "You will not take those girls down the path you have forced those boys down."

The can John emptied is thrown across the room, missing the garbage by a yard. "You are not their father, you don't get to tell me how to raise my family."

"Those girls are now my family, John and I'm telling you no, you are not taking those girls out there."

John grits his teeth. It's not just about taking the girls out on the road, it was about teaching them how to protect themselves against the supernatural. He opened his mouth, prepared to argue his point but he bit his tongue and nodded; surprising Bobby and himself, with his resignation. "Is it alright if I shower and we crash for the night?"

"You're always welcome here, John, you know that." Even with all their differences and their arguments, they were family.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Nicole had joined Sam on the floor, they were building something with the lego's Bobby had gotten just for them. Nancy was staring wide eyed at her present, turning the pages with care as they were faded and weather worn. Dean had been watching her since she plopped down, her honey colored hair fell like a water fall around her face.

"It's just a book you know." He tried hard to hide the snort that tried joining his scoff.

Nancy hid the fact she was rolling her eyes behind her hair before she tucked it behind her ear. Dean had never once smiled at her or been remotely nice to her since he pulled her out of the dirt 3 months ago. "Not that you would know what one was, right?"

"Hey, I read."

"As long as there's pictures in it."

Dean rolls his eyes before throwing on a pair of headphones, Led Zeppelin pours from the speakers.

The next day, John and Bobby actually agreed that it was time the girls learned how to shoot. Nicole took to it faster than Nancy but it didn't take long before the cans were all knocked off a fallen log with the .22 bullets. Nancy and Nicole were giddy as they came running in the house. Dean was at the stove, heating up a pot full of spaghetti-o's for lunch.

Nancy took one whiff and made a sour face. "Seriously, Dean?"

"Sorry it's not up to par with the gourmet meals you make, Julia Childs."

"Shut up." Nancy stormed up the stairs and into the room she shared with Nicole. She didn't know why she was letting him get to her. She had put up with much worse in the foster homes. The book that John had gotten her was suddenly in her lap, it was no larger than her hands but it meant the world to her. Her mother, before she died, read it to her every night at bedtime. If she closed her eyes and thought hard enough about it, she could still her voice.

Nicole sat down and wiped away the tears as they fell, putting an arm around her sister as she cried. "You can't let him get to you."

Nancy wiped the back of her hand under her nose, she was always a messy crier. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nanc, don't lie to me."

Nancy turned her head to press a kiss against the top of Nicole's head. "You sure you're only 7?"

Nicole laughed and Nancy responded in kind. "I get that a lot."

This became the routine, John would take the boys on hunts while the girls stayed with Bobby. They would take the bus to and from school, every couple of weeks the presence of the 1967 black Chevy Impala would surprise them. Nicole wouldn't leave Sam alone, they were always playing on the floor or running through the lot playing tag or hide and seek.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"What do you mean you're taking the girls on this one?" Bobby just about shattered the glass of gin in his hand.

John stood across the room. The kids had all gone to bed a couple hours ago. "I think it'd be good for them."

"John, we've talked about this. Not a chance in hell!"

"Why are you so hard headed about this? You think they're safe here?"

"Are you kidding? I know they're not safe but they're not safe anywhere! You are NOT taking these girls - "

Nancy clears her throat from the living room. "Don't you think I should have a say in this?"

Bobby ran a hand over his face, trying to rub away the sight of John's shit eating grin. "No, Nancy. You don't have a say in this."

"Why not? I'm 13 and Sammy's been out there his whole life. Give me one good reason I can't go out there with them?"

"You said it yourself, you're 13."

"The courts let me decide my future by living here with you, both of us and I chose to be a part of this family; dysfunctional as it is. Now let us be part of it completely."

Bobby shook his head as he shot John his best pissed off glare. John did his best not to smile but it wasn't working very well. Bobby gave a curt nod before draining his glass and storming out of the room. John bent down to Nancy's level. "Are you sure kid? I don't actually want to make you do anything you're not sure about."

"I want this, Pop."

John's eyes twinkled in the sunlight. "Pack a bag, we head out in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

John steered the Impala into the parking lot of a small motel in the just as small town of Big Lake, MN. He had driven all day, stopping only for gas and food. By the time the engine was silenced, it was 8 pm and Nancy couldn't stop yawning.

Dean couldn't stop from chuckling. "Your night is just beginning."

The motel room held two beds, John and Dean would share one while Nancy got her own. A hot shower called to Nancy so she seized the opportunity, not knowing the next time during this trip hot water would be available to her.

Dean barely waited for the bathroom door to be closed. "Tell me again, why is she here?"

John was tired and his son's attitude was grating on him. He slid out of his jacket, placing it on the back of the chair he was about to sit down in. "Why do you have such a problem with her?"

Dean slipped out of his sneakers. "She's not... one of us, dad."

"Son, she's as close to one of us as you can get. Her family was slaughtered."

"They weren't her real family."

"Knock it off, Dean! Either you get over your problem with her or you're on the next bus back to Sioux Falls and you can spend the rest of the year with Bobby. You got me?"

"Yeah, I got you."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good boy. Now, you want your usual for dinner?"

Dean nodded glumly as he watched his father approach the bathroom door. Knocking gently, he opened it an inch and asked Nancy what she wanted; salad with ranch dressing on the side, make sure there's plenty of croutons. Dean's jaw just about fell on the floor when he heard his dad reply to Nancy's I love you. He hadn't heard his dad say those three words since before his mom died.

Dean thought he was going to explode. Who did she think she was? Just some poor little orphan that weaseled her way into their family, into HIS father's heart. He wanted to hit something and if she wasn't careful, he just might hit her.

Nancy came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of grey yoga pants and a shirt that Bobby gave her, it must have been Karen's since it was fitted in all the right places. The smell of strawberries followed her as she worked a towel through her wet hair; it curled slightly when it was wet. She sat down Indian style on her bed and worked at ignoring the fact that Dean's eyes were boring into the side of her head.

Unable to ignore it any longer, she whirled around to face him. "What?!"

Her blue eyes sparkled with irritation and he suddenly found himself wanting to do something other than hit her and he wasn't sure what to do about the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Nuthin'."

Nancy rolled her eyes. "You've had a problem with me since that night."

"Have not."

"You don't want me here."

Dean scoffs not very subtly. "What makes you say that?"

"Please. Ever since Pop and Uncle Bobby started talking about us staying, you've been looking at me as if I carry the plague."

Dean pushes off the bed and strolls over to the window that overlooks the parking lot; dad should have been back by now. Pop... it was almost as bad as Papa John. Every muscle in his 14 year old body was thrumming with anger. His jaw tightens as he grits his teeth. Before he can stop himself, he's spitting words out. "HE'S NOT YOUR FATHER!"

Nancy winces at the anger in his voice. Just as the words explode out of Dean's mouth, the door slams open and John is towering over his son. "What did you just say?"

Dean stammers, he hadn't seen his father this angry since he had told Sammy what their father really did. "I - I was just... she's acting like you're her dad."

The door is pushed close with a large foot before John sets the bags of food down on the round table. His face is borderline unreadable but Nancy can see that he's angry and she's across the room. "Don't you EVER say that she's not a part of this family. Her and Nicole are as much a part of our family as Bobby! Family don't end with blood. You hear me?"

Dean shot daggers around John as Nancy stared at the fingers in her lap. "Yes, sir. I hear you."

Dinner was ate in silence, by Dean and Nancy that is. John was talking about the case while they avoided looking at each other. It sounded like a simple ghost case. A young family had moved into an older house and started doing some renovations when the usual started happening. Flickering lights, sudden drop in temperature, a voice that wasn't their own and things disappearing. He thought the case would take a couple days, a week at the most.

Two days later and the young couple had finally agreed to allow them into their home. John asked the questions while Dean walked Nancy around the house, running the EMF detector. It spiked drastically in the room they were converting into a nursery; Mrs. Shaw was 4 months pregnant. It became suddenly very important that this case get resolved, the sooner the better.

A trip to the local library the next day, uncovered who it was they were dealing with. Mrs. Thatcher had hung herself after losing her sixth unborn child, she felt ashamed and like she was letting her husband down by not being able to provide an heir, she took her own life hours after the loss of the last child; a son. Mr. Thatcher sold the house after the burial of his wife.

The plan was simple, John would go to the cemetery and salt and burn her remains while Dean and Nancy waited at the house, in case she showed up and tried to harm Mrs. Shaw. She had expressed concern for her safety after an unseen pressure had been felt against her swollen stomach.

Mr. and Mrs. Shaw were expectedly anxious since their protection was just a couple of teenagers but they didn't argue; Dean promised that no harm would come to them tonight. The Grandfather clock in the hallway chimed 9 pm and the drop in temperature was immediate. Nancy slid two salt rounds into her sawed-off and she was at immediate attention, right behind Dean.

His eyes scoured the room as they waited for the appearance of Mrs. Thatcher's ghost. Nancy was nervous as they circled the room, their backs pressed together. "Wh - where is she?" Her teeth started clacking because of the cold and it was grating on Dean.

"Would you be quiet?!" His whisper was harsh.

Nancy looked down at their feet, they stood in a circle of salt that John had made them promise not to leave. She opened her mouth to say something when a scream tore through the house; Mrs. Shaw. They shared a look before bolting out of the room and the protective circle of salt.

Mr. Shaw was unconscious on the floor and his wife was pinned to the bed, mostly by fear but Mrs. Thatcher had her hands pressed firmly against her stomach and her unborn child. Dean took aim and fired a round, missing the ghost by mere inches. She turned her attention to Dean and threw him across the room with her will.

The gun in his hand clattered to the ground as he landed with a loud thump. Nancy swallowed loudly, her heart jack-hammered against her chest as she took aim. Her gun shook wildly, shooting cans is very different from shooting a salt round into a ghost.

Mrs. Thatcher's voice was loud, echoing in the small room. "No child will live in his house."

Nancy looked at Mrs. Shaw, tears were streaming down as she begged to be left alone, please was said a lot. Nancy knew she wasn't going to hit the ghost with a round so she placed the gun to the floor, her hands raised, hoping Mrs. Thatcher wouldn't see her as a threat. Nancy cleared her throat, hoping to rid the fear from it. "Mrs. Thatcher, please let her go."

"No child, I shall not."

"I - I know that you lost many children yourself."

Mrs. Thatcher wavered slightly, her form flickered. "What do you know of it?"

Nancy took a step closer to the bed, her eyes flicking over to Dean, who was still passed out from hitting his head. "I don't know much, Mrs. Thatcher, but I do know what losing your family does to you. I lost my mom when I was young, I thought my life was over."

Mrs. Thatcher released her hold on the pregnant woman and turned her attention to Nancy. There was such a sadness in her face that Nancy felt deep in her heart. "You know not of this loss!"

"I know I haven't, but why would you want anyone else to feel it? Why would you hurt someone like that?"

Confusion washed over the ghost. "I - I do not know."

Nancy lowered her hands and closed the distance, stepping a breath away from Mrs. Thatcher. "You need to move on, Mrs. Thatcher. Go and be with your babies, they need their mother, don't you hear them crying for you?" Nancy swallowed hard enough for it to hurt. She wasn't sure that was the right thing to say but what else was there. John should have been to the cemetery by now, her bones should have been salted and burned but too much time had passed. Mrs. Thatcher was hurting and had been for almost 100 years, she needed to move on not be punished.

Mrs. Thatcher's features grew kind as her face turned upwards, hearing something that no human could, her babies crying for their mother. She placed a see through hand on Nancy's shoulder. "Thank you, my child."

In the blink of an eye, Mrs. Thatcher was gone and the temperature quickly rose. Mrs. Shaw scrambled off the bed and to her husband while Nancy ran over to Dean. They quickly woke up, Dean a little more out of it than Mr. Shaw since he hit his head harder.

John pulled up thirty minutes later, he had been unable to locate the burial site, either history records were wrong or something had happened to her remains that wasn't documented. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw gave their heart-felt thanks and said they'd pass the word along to those that needed it.

Nancy filled John on in what happened while he drove out of town. She could tell that he was impressed with how well she handled herself but the fact that Dean missed the shot, bothered him. He expected perfection from his son and he failed. Nancy watched from the back seat as Dean wiped a stray tear from his face, he kept his face plastered against the passenger window. In that moment, Nancy felt sorry for Dean.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summer 1993**

There was a dinner to sort of celebrate the kids' birthday and Nancy was the chef. Dean had turned 15, Nancy was right behind at 14, Sammy was 11 and Nicole would be turning 9 in a week. John and Bobby kept lingering around the kitchen as bacon wrapped chicken thighs finished cooking in the stove, corn on the cob was bubbling in a large pot and a fresh pan of cinnamon rolls were cooling by the window.

Sam and Nicole were running around the outside of the house while Dean sulked in the living room, a pair of headphones plastered to his dirty blonde head. Nancy kept glancing at him, his fingers toyed with the amulet Sammy had given him for Christmas. They hadn't really seen each other since the ghost case but she couldn't get the tear falling from his long blonde lashes out of her mind. She loved John like a father but he could be a real jack ass.

Dinner was loud as talk of cases dominated the conversations. John talked about a werewolf case that Dean got the kill on, he actually sounded proud of his oldest son, for a minute. Sammy piped in with how he helped with the research, that boy loved his books.

Presents were handed out after the table was cleared, a sink full of dishes was the sign of a happy bunch. Dean got a batch of cassette tapes, Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Motorhead, just to name a few; he smiled wide at everyone except Nancy. Nancy got a large leather bound journal, resembling John's. He told her it was time to start her own since she chose to go down that path. Bobby handed her a small box, a small gold chain with a cross. It had belonged to Karen and it didn't get past Bobby that Nancy wanted it, running her finger over it as it sat atop his dresser every time she saw it. Sam opened a box of Matchbox cars and a large case to hold them all in, next to reading, cars were his favorite thing. Nicole got a box full of artist tools; books, pencils, charcoals and paints.

The two youngest ran off to the living room, enjoying their toys and filling the house with laughter. Nancy started on the dishes while Dean sat at the table, music pumping through the headphones. Bobby and John had disappeared out to the garage with a glass of whiskey each.

Dean watched as Nancy pulled her hair off her neck, tying it in a high not before attacking the dishes. He couldn't hear her, but she had started humming along with the music she could hear. She felt good right now, like her and Nicole were part of a family that accepted them, no matter their faults. The moonlight filtering through the window shone off the scar she got last year, it practically glowed after getting splashed with water.

Never in a million years would she have imagined that this is where she would be, what her life would be like. Growing up in foster homes, she accepted early on that she wouldn't be part of a family, that she would be the outcast and that no one would want her; people only want to adopt babies, not a teenager. All it took was a monster to tear her life apart for someone to come along and help rebuild it from the ground up.

She loved Bobby and John with all her heart, Nicole was her sister and now she started thinking of Sammy as her brother. Dean on the other hand, was more like the family friend no one liked but tolerated. She wondered briefly what his problem was but deep down, she knew. She knew he hated her and Nicole for butting in and pulling the affection from his father that Dean never received. He seemed okay with Sammy getting the love and affection, but a couple of girls no one wanted? That was another story.

Bobby and John called everyone outside for another surprise. Even though the dishes weren't done, Nancy wandered out, wiping her wet hands on the back of her jeans. The kids stood there and watched the older men as the scurried around, finishing up last minute details before Bobby struck a long match on the bottom of his boot.

Sparks flew as fuses were lit and they were rewarded with an explosion and a splash of colors lit the dark sky; they had bought fireworks and a lot of them. The kids sat on the ground, Nicole plopped down in Nancy's lap as she sat Indian style. Nancy rested her chin on top of Nicole's head, her arms wrapped around her waist protectively and Nicole rested her hands on top of Nancy's. Sam scooted close to the girls since Dean just stood back, his arms crossed defensively. As beautiful as the fireworks were, Dean was as sullen as ever.

Nancy found herself watching the colors play against Dean's features and it struck her how beautiful he really was. Beautiful, not a word she would normally use to describe a guy but even at 15, she could see that he would be drop dead beautiful when he got older. His bright green eyes sparkled as explosions filled the sky and his hair turned every color that danced through the night.

Feeling her eyes on him, Dean turned and met her gaze. He watched as she blushed, even in the darkness he could see the crimson play across her cheeks. She didn't look away, he fully expected her too but she surprised him. The corners of her mouth pulled up in a shy smile, one that he found himself wanting to return but he dug deep and rolled his eyes. Spinning on his heel, he found himself strutting in the house, the screen door slamming against the frame.

Nancy scoots Nicole off her lap and stormed in after Dean, all but yanking the door off the house. "WINCHESTER!"

Dean is bobbing his head to the music again, turned on full blast so he can't hear anything but the drums and guitar riffs. His forehead about hits the table when Nancy reaches out and slaps the phones off his head. The chair flies back as he stands abruptly. "What the HELL?!"

"I could ask you the same thing. What is your PROBLEM?"

Dean scoffs and turns to leave the room. Nancy reaches out and pulls at his arm, whirling him around to look at her. "Don't touch me."

"What are you gonna do, Dean, hit me?"

Dean worked his jaw, the sound of his teeth grinding together all but echoed in the room. "No, I wouldn't do that."

"Oh look at what we have here, a gentleman." For the first time in a long time, Nancy felt like pushing him, starting a fight, seeing how far he would take it. She reached out and poked him in the chest.

"Don't, Nancy, just don't." Dean turned and stormed out of the room, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

If her hair wasn't tied up, she'd run her hands through it. Hell, she'd probably pull it out. "Just talk to me." She followed suit, following him through the living room.

He was suddenly looking at her and she just about flew into his chest. He was a year older than her but he was about 6 inches taller. "Why should I?"

"Why shouldn't you?"

"Because you're not..."

"Family? Goddammit Dean, would you just get over it already?"

"Get over it? Get over IT? Would YOU be able to get over it?"

Nancy didn't know if she could do as she was asking him but she would like to think she could. "What do you want me to do, huh?"

"You don't want me to answer that." His voice was deep, dripping with anger and frustration.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want an answer." She knew the answer but for him to say it, that was the main goal of this whole thing.

He seemed to think over his words, his jaw working and his hands relaxing before tightening into balls over and over again. He looked hard at her and spit them out before he chickened out or his dad came in and beat the crap out of him. "I want you to leave. I want you out of this house and I never want to see you again. That's what I want."

Nancy couldn't help it, her chin quivered as her eyes well with tears, threatening to fall but never breaking the threshold. The sounds of pure happiness from outside were suddenly so loud and she knew it would be going on for a long while. She bit the inside of her cheek and just watched Dean. She knew he meant what he said but was giving him time to take it all back and ask her to stay; that would never happen. Not that she needed his approval but she wanted it.

Maybe he was right, she didn't belong. But then if she didn't, what about Nicole, he didn't seem to be having as much of an issue with her. Why not? What was it about Nancy that made his blood boil, that made him so angry he risked chipping his teeth? She clenched her jaw and nodded before running up the stairs and started throwing her few belongings into the bag she brought to Minnesota. She was packed and running out the back door in a matter of minutes, brushing past Dean as he went.

He watched with wide eyes and an even wider mouth as she rushed out, the smell of her shampoo clinging to the air around him. He stood rooted to the floor for several minutes before channeling his inner two year old and stomped his foot, hard. "Son of a bitch." Dean propelled himself out of the house and tore off after Nancy.


	5. Chapter 5

Nancy pushed herself through the trees, her tears streak off her face and into her hair. She was actually running away from a family she loved and that most of them loved her back. Branches bit at her the further from the house she got, even tried ripping the bag off her back. She fell to the ground, a rock bit into her knee causing her to cry out in pain. Blood coated the ragged cut in her jeans and pain blossomed under the cap, the cut was deep and she would probably need stitches.

Footsteps fell behind her, fast and hard. Dean's voice called to her, an edge of panic to his voice at not being able to locate her. It was pitch black where she was sitting, she could stay unseen as long as she didn't move or breathe or cry out. The pain grew bad enough that she gave a cry, a sob dug its way out of her throat and before she could blink, Dean was standing in front of her.

The pair moved awkwardly, Nancy draped an arm around his shoulders and Dean wrapped an arm around her waist with his other hand raised, holding the arm around his shoulders tight. She slung her bag on her back and lifted her leg, all but screaming when the skin pulled apart.

They stumbled in the back door just as the rest of the group trickled in the front. Nancy slid her bag behind the large chair, a blanket fell over it, hiding it from everyone's sight. Bobby grabbed the first aid kit from the bathroom while John helped Dean get Nancy onto the couch. Without so much as a word, John ripped the leg of Nancy's pants apart, exposing the gaping wound; blood pulsed like a waterfall.

"What'd you do?" John looked from Dean to Nancy, ready to blame Dean, as usual.

Before Dean could answer or John started shouting, Nancy opened her mouth. "We went for a walk and I slipped."

"That what happen, son?"

"It was dark and there was a pit in the ground."

"Well then, let's get this cleaned up."

Bobby sent Nicole and Sammy up to bed, it had gotten late and they couldn't stop yawning even though they said they weren't tired. Bobby knew better, he tucked them in to bed while John ran stitches into Nancy's knee. She wasn't old enough to drink so Dean dug out some pain killers from the bathroom.

The tension between the two teenagers was palpable, Bobby felt like cutting it with a butcher knife. Instead he grabbed Dean by the shoulder and all but threw him into the kitchen. "Boy, you better tell me the truth."

Guilt was written all over Dean's face. "I... I said something I shouldn't have, that's all."

"You think I'm kidding when I say the truth?"

Dean ran his hand over his face. "I told her I wanted her out, for good."

"What in the hell is the matter with you?" Bobby couldn't hide the confusion and anger from his face. "Ever since your father brought those girls into our lives, you have done nothing but look at her like she's the Devil incarnate. Now I know that you and your dad haven't always gotten along but do not place your anger with him onto someone innocent. She has nothing to do with this." Bobby waved a hand through the air, motioning towards the living room.

Dean nodded curtly. "Yes, sir."

Bobby clapped Dean on the shoulder before he left to crawl into bed with his walkman. Bobby poured himself a couple fingers of whiskey just as John walked in, washing his bloody hands in the sink. Bobby handed John a cup like his, his jaw tight, knowing full well where this conversation was going to end up.

John swallowed the amber liquid hungrily and helped himself to the bottle, pouring himself a full glass rather than a few fingers. He sat down at the table, spinning the glass between his fingers. Bobby emptied his glass before standing across the table, his hands holding the chair firm enough to whiten his knuckles. "You need to lay off of Dean, John. You're putting to much pressure on him."

John rolled his eyes, scoffing at the resurrection of an old argument. "I think I'll be the judge of that."

"You really buy that they went out for a walk?"

John shrugged, his large shoulder straining the material of his grey t-shirt. "That's what they said."

"Since when do teenagers tell the truth? He told me what happened, what he said to Nancy that made her run."

"She didn't run."

It was Bobby's turn to scoff. He turned on his heel and lifted the blanket on the floor. A black duffel was tossed onto the table, shuddering John's glass, threatening to spill his drink. "This bag pack itself and walk down the stairs?"

The anger rolled off John in waves and his face grew dark. "What happened?"

"He said something he shouldn't have and she ran off, that's it."

John pushed away from the table and started pacing like a caged animal. "That boy, I swear I'll - "

"You'll what, John? Beat it into him? No, you won't lay a hand on him. He's sorry for what he said, for what it led up to. What's done is done, they're just kids, John."

"Like hell, Bobby. That boy is old enough to know better. His place is to watch over everyone and make sure no harm comes to them. That boy needs to grow up!"

"That boy, as you call him, is your son, John. And that boy, needs every bit of love that your handing out to everyone but him. Why is that, John? Why are those girls so different than Dean?"

John drained his glass in one hungry gulp, his anger not even close to ebbing but a softness started to creep into his features. How could he explain it so Bobby understood? Those girls weren't just some kids they saved from a pair of ghouls, they weren't just kids that survived a vicious attack with all their limbs still attached... they were...

Bobby chewed on his bottom lip while he watched John mull over his thoughts. A lightbulb went off and the older man sucked in a breath. "They remind you of Mary, don't they?"

John's face hardened, he strode across the room and stuck a finger in Bobby's face. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Bobby didn't waver, he didn't back down, he had struck a chord in John, something he hadn't talked about in over 10 years. "It's ok to admit something like that, John. You can love these girls because they remind you of your wife and there's nothing wrong if they do. Just..."

"Just what, Bobby? What do you want me to do? Go and give that boy a hug, tell him I love him?"

"YES! What is so wrong with that?"

The glass shattered as John threw it across the room. Shards flew everywhere and Nancy screamed shrilly. She leaned against the doorframe, her leg bent so she didn't rip the stitches. "Would you two knock it off?!"

The older men sobered instantly, Bobby grabbed a broom and dustpan while John worked at reigning in his anger. "What are you doing up?"

"Well it's hard to sleep when two grown men are screaming at each other like a bunch of children."

John chewed on the inside of his cheek. "It's grown up stuff, darlin'. You go back up and go to bed."

"Don't you talk to me like I'm a child, Pop."

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady."

"Or what? You'll ground me? This is MY home and that man is the one that bosses me around, not you."

John stood back, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the spit fire in front of him. The tension between John and Bobby didn't subside but they shared a nod that would put it to the side, for a while at least. John nodded at Nancy, placing a hand on her shoulder as he towered over her. "Truce, okay?"

Nancy was still riled up, her blood was pumping a mile a minute but if the John and Bobby could put something to the side, then so could she. She nodded, her hair falling in her face. "Truce."


	6. Chapter 6

**ONE MONTH LATER**

John dropped Sammy off in exchange for Nancy, he had a case that she wanted to go on; multiple youth had gone missing from a park. Without much to go on, John was hesitant but Nancy begged until John agreed. Dean was even less willing to accept Nancy on the trip. It was bad enough that his little brother was getting involved in the cases but a girl? Perched in the back seat, he rolled his eyes when she slid next to him. He turned the music up when she tried to talk to him, ask him how he was doing. Exasperated, Nancy buried her nose in a copy of Little Men for the duration of the trip.

Having reached their destination, they pulled into a greasy motel for the night, same set up as before, John and Dean would share a bed while Nancy got her own. Sleep didn't come easy for Nancy. Her mind was racing a mile a minute with memories and thoughts of Dean. Last month was the closest they'd been since he pulled her out of the mud and she could still feel his arm wrapped around her waist. For being only 15, he sure was strong. Probably a side effect from being raised a hunter.

Deep, even breathing to her right signaled that the Winchesters were asleep. With her arm raised behind her head, Nancy turned and saw the reason she couldn't sleep; Dean. He was facing her direction and snuggled deep into his pillow. Long blonde eyelashes lay against his freckled cheeks and his lips had parted slightly. He was wearing the necklace Sammy got him, it pooled onto the sheet by his shoulder. The sudden urge to reach out and touch his face took hold and she tried shaking herself to get rid of it. When the physical shaking had no effect, Nancy pushed off the bed and slid on her Converse sneakers; making sure to grab a key before slipping out of the room. The air was thick with humidity, much different from the room with the little window air conditioning unit cranked on full blast. She could feel beads of sweat form on her brow and at the small of her back, they grabbed hold of her tank top.

With no real destination in mind, Nancy let her feet do the walking, as it were. She paid no attention to her surroundings as her mind wandered. What would it be like if Dean didn't hate her? Would they actually find they had things in common? Would he actually smile at her, causing his eyes to twinkle in that way that made her stomach drop? Would there be more to their relationship than just being friends? Well, they had to GET to friends first and that path was littered with obstacles.

A twig snapped to her left, pushing all of Nancy's thoughts to the side. Her eyes scanned the open field and she realized where she was; the park. Without a second thought, Nancy spun on her heel and started to run towards the open street. Just as she was about to step onto the concrete, something grabbed her from behind. With a grip like iron, it yanked her back into the darkness and muffled her attempt at a scream. She kicked and bucked, tried everything she could think of to get away but it didn't work; it was too strong. The hand over her mouth gave off a strong aroma and she felt herself drift off to sleep, whether she wanted to or not. Darkness enveloped her and her last thought was that she might not ever be found.

**xxxxxxxxx**

Dean shifted awkwardly in his sleep, a girl with honey blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes danced through his dreams and it had started to take effect on him. He blinked rapidly, the sun filtered in through the shade and pulled him from yet another dream. The bed across from him was empty, the blankets pushed to the side. Dean sat up and tugged at his boxers to give himself some extra room. Feeling embarrassed, he hung his head, placing his hands at the base of his neck.

John came running out of the bathroom, panic taking hold of him. "Where is she?"

Dean's head flew up. "What do you mean?" With blurry eyes, Dean scoured the room. Her bed was empty, he already knew that but his eyes fell to the spot where she had shoved her shoes before she took her shower last night; they weren't there. Neither was her room key, he remembered her setting it down next to her book. Dean thrust his legs into his jeans from yesterday before he threw on his socks and boots. He bolted out the door before his father could protest and he searched the parking lot, not that he expected to find her. The sidewalk and street were also void of her presence. He shook his head as the door closed. "She's not out there."

John slapped an open hand against the table, sending some toiletries onto the floor. Angry and dark eyes met Dean's. "Did you say something to her?"

"No, dad, I swear. She was here when I fell asleep."

"And you didn't hear anything?"

Dean just shook his head. "Not a peep."

"Crap."

John decided not to call Bobby, not yet at least, the old man had enough on his plate with the younger kids. The research was hit harder than normal, mainly because Nancy appeared to be part of the statistic. It took two days of research and asking questions from the local authorities and posing as an FBI agent to talk with the townspeople who had filed the missing person's reports before they got a lead. This could go one of two ways; an easy rescue or it could get messy real fast. John bet it would go the latter.

**xxxxxxxxx**

The stench tugged at Nancy, pulled her from the chloroform induced sleep. Her stomach rolled as her eyes fluttered open, the pounding in the back of her head didn't help matters much. She sat up and focused on a dim light in the corner of the large room. It took much longer than she liked for her eyes to clear up but when they did, she wished she could go back to sleep.

The room appeared to be a large garage or barn, there were a couple tractors lined up against one wall but the majority of the room was littered with iron barred cages. Her own prison was barely six feet long by two feet wide and four feet high. Straw littered the floor and in the corner was a bowl of water next to another empty bowl, probably for the bare minimum of food. Nancy saw that there were hinges at one end of the cage so she busied herself with examining it, seeing if there was a way to break out.

A soft cry pulled Nancy's attention away from the task at hand, the cage closest to her housed a small child. From the looks of him, Nancy guessed he was maybe 8. His dark hair was matted with dirt, as were his clothes and any bare skin she could see. Tears streaked down his face, leaving paths in the dirt. She kept her voice soft, not knowing if they were being watched or guarded.

"Shhhh, it's alright. My name's Nancy, what's yours?"

His breathing hitched in his chest, he had been crying for a while. "G-G-G-Greyson."

Nancy felt her heart grow heavy, she wanted to hold this boy in her arms until he stopped crying. "Do you know where we are?"

His head twitched and new tears welled. "No."

Nancy ground her teeth in frustration, not at the child but the situation. "Do you know how long you've been here?"

Tears broke over the threshold. "I – I think 5 days? I don't know." He buried his face in his arms that were wrapped tight around his legs.

Nancy could feel her own tears start to form but she swallowed the fear as it blossomed in her chest. "Do you know how long I've been here?"

Greyson swallowed hard before his eyes meet hers. "It was really dark at first. They brought me food once and it's dark again… a day? I lose track of time."

"It's alright Greyson. I just need to figure out how to get us out of here." Nancy grunted as she kicked with all her might at the latch but the welding, although it looked old, held firm. She saw Greyson cover his ears as each kick echoed and she didn't stop until a thin layer of sweat covered every inch of her. She cursed loudly with a final kick before turning her attention to the water bowl behind her. Despite Greyson's protests, she greedily drank the cool liquid, despite the metallic after taste. Almost immediately, her tongue felt thick and a heavy fog took over her brain. "P – poison?" The last thing she saw was Greyson nod before he ducked his head again and then darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

Screams tore through the room and Nancy jumped up, just short of hitting her head on the top of her cage. Ripped out of another drug induced sleep, her heart jack-hammered against her chest as her lungs tried to function normally. With wide eyes, she found Greyson's cage empty, well almost empty. Pudgy fingers were wrapped around the iron rods as his legs were pulled out the open door. His eyes were clamped shut as he screamed, pure fear coated every syllable.

Nancy pounded against the door with her feet and hands, screaming, demanding that they let Greyson go. Two forms worked to pull the child out and at Nancy's shrill screams, the tallest one let go and towered over Nancy, the next scream fell silent as her mind registered what was before her; a man. A flesh and blood human being was tearing a child out of a cage to do God knows what to and it turned her blood ice cold. Of everything she had been told about and seen, this was the scariest thing ever.

He bared his teeth when she slid back, shuddering in fear. Nancy could smell him and it turned her stomach, he smelled of blood and gun powder and rotting flesh. "You sure are pretty."

He reached a hand into the cage and was just about to run a finger a long Nancy's jaw when the other one spoke. "We ain't got time for this, Jay. Git over here and help me! Papa's gonna be angry if this one ain't gutted."

Wait, what? Gutted? Nancy screamed louder than before and kicked at the rods hard enough that her teeth shook with each thrust of her legs. With a groan from each man, Jay grabbed a pistol from his waistband and aimed it at Nancy. It wasn't until right before he pulled the trigger that she noticed it was a taser; her body went rigid as electricity coursed through her veins. She fell to the ground and watched through hooded lids as they did the same to Greyson; moments later, they extracted a limp body, much like hers. All Nancy could do was watch as they carried Greyson out before slamming the door closed. A loud thunk filled the room as a lock of some kind was engaged. Only then did she give in to the despair that filled her, there was no one to see her cry or hear her sobs.

**xxxxxxxxx**

John parked the Impala at the end of a dirt driveway, tucked away under a low hanging tree, Dean climbed out and joined his dad at the trunk. John lifted the false bottom to reveal the arsenal. It didn't matter how many times Dean saw it, it still took his breath away. John and Dean loaded up with a couple knives and a gun each, extra clips were stored in their back pockets. The plan was simple, check out the barn first and then move to the house. They didn't know how many kids this family had taken or how many might be alive but one thing was certain, they were going to find Nancy.

With guns ready to fire, the pair strode up the ditch that laid next to the driveway. It would be easy to duck down should a car come. The property was littered with cars, old and new, missing and not yet reported as such. There was a stench that poured from the barn and it took everything in them not to empty their stomachs; death, urine and feces all but slapped them in the face. While Dean kept watch, John dug out his lock pick set and went to work on the barricade that housed Nancy.

A set of shrill screams tore through the air, one from the house and the other from the building John was breaking into. The hair on Dean's neck stood at attention and he watched as three figures paced around a room, all other lights were off in the house save for one. One of them lifted a large knife, on instinct, Dean pulled the trigger and smiled in satisfaction when the glass shattered and a grown man screamed like a little girl.

John whirled around and took aim, cursing loudly at Dean. "I'll go, you get Nancy."

Dean watched as John took off running, shots fired as he went, sailing directly into their targets. Once he saw his father disappear into the house, Dean went to work on the lock, it didn't take him long, he was a natural. The door creaked open and the screaming stopped at the same time. With his pistol raised, Dean entered the dimly lit room and held his breath; the stench was much stronger once inside. His eyes fell on a cage that held the girl he couldn't stop dreaming about. Nancy clutched to the rods and openly sobbed when they locked eyes.

**xxxxxxxx**

Natural instinct grabbed Nancy deep down when she heard someone outside the door, she screamed until her head hurt, she kicked at the front of her cage until she couldn't feel her feet. When she heard a gun discharge, she stopped everything. She couldn't explain it but she knew the cavalry was here. It wasn't until she saw Dean that she fully accepted the fact that help was here and not some murderous bastard. Tears fell freely as sobs choked their way out.

Dean was in front of her, prying at the bars with his hands but they didn't budge. There was also no keyhole so the lock pick set wasn't any good. Nancy pointed over his shoulder. "I think it's electric." In almost no time and all the time in the world, Dean pushed button after button until the door to Nancy's cage swung open. Nancy scrambled out as if the door would suddenly slam shut and Dean was helping her off the ground. She threw herself into his arms, breathing him in as she cried, thanking him over and over again.

It wasn't that Dean didn't appreciate the feeling of a female pressed up against him but Dean stood there stiffly, patting her back. Two things prevented him from enjoying this. One, she wreaked and two, his dad was in that house and his gun had fallen silent. Nancy grew still before pulling away. "They have a little boy in there, they said they were gonna gut him."

Dean's jaw tightened as he nodded. "Over my dead body." He handed a knife over to Nicole, who had gathered herself rather quickly. The nodded to each other before leaving the barn.

**xxxxxxxxx**

John made sure to take shots he knew he could make, save the ammo, there's only one clip left. The rest of the house was dark and eerily quiet save for the sobs of a young child coming from the kitchen. With his back pressed firmly against a wall, John was able to take in his surroundings. There were paintings that hung on the wall, landscapes mainly, what looked to be wind chimes next to the windows, jars littered several bookshelves and there was an odd looking lamp next to an old and tattered recliner.

He made sure he wouldn't get attacked when he strayed for him position and worked his way over to the shelving. There were so many jars that John lost count but that's not what made his stomach drop to the floor, it was the content of said jars; teeth. All different sizes, shapes and colors of teeth filled countless jars, they weren't just taking children. Next, John moved to the lampshade and the paintings, the briefest of touches confirmed his instincts; human skin was used. Fury rolled through John, monsters he got, but people were crazy.

The noises coming from the kitchen persisted and John wasted no more time in gaining access. Two of the men he had previously shot surprised him from behind, knocking the gun from his grasp. John fell to the floor with a grunt but rolled out of it, dropping one assailant with a hard kick to the groin followed by a knee to the nose, driving the bone into his brain; he was dead before he hit the ground.

The second man watched with wide eyes as his brother fell to the floor. His face turned hard before he ran full steam towards John. John used that momentum to his advantage; he side-stepped quickly and shoved his foot hard against the man, catapulting him head first into a wall. The man was slow to get up, having had his wits scrambled but when he did, he was looking down the barrel of a gun. He had the nerve to beg for his life. John rolled his eyes quickly before pulling the trigger.

John turned and ran before the dead man hit the floor. The scene in the kitchen stopped him dead in his tracks. A boy, a few years younger than Sammy, was strapped to a table, naked. There were lines of ink on him, indicating where the cuts were to take place. Wide brown eyes stared up at him and he whimpered, tugging on his restraints. John pulled out his knife and the ropes fell away. A quick scan of the room provided no clothing so John pulled off his t-shirt and offered it to the boy.

"You stay behind me, alright? Let's get you home." The boy did as instructed even though you could tell he wanted to be picked up and carried out. Just as John opened the door, an arm shot out and knocked him to the ground. John yelled at the boy, told him to run and not to look back. As instructed, he ran as if he were being chased, right into the arms of Nancy.

John's gun was too far to reach and there was a man on top of him, his teeth getting closer to ripping John's neck out. It took all his strength to push him back, if he tried taking a swing, it would be over. Just when John thought his arms would give out, a shot rang out and the assailant was on the floor, blood streaming out of a hole in his forehead.

Dean reached down to his father. "Is that all of 'em?"

John stood, wiping drops of drool off his currently bare chest. "I think so. There were four but I haven't seen him since I put a bullet in his gut." John and Dean did a final sweep of the house, the last thing they wanted was a surprise visit from a previously thought dead creep.

Satisfied that the situation was taken care of, they walked out to find Nancy still on her knees and the boy clinging to her. They were both crying while Nancy tried to calm the younger one down, he was on the edge of hyperventilation and clung to Nancy as if his life depended on it. With the boy still firm against her chest, Nancy drug herself out of the mud and all but ran to John.

**xxxxxxxxx**

Nancy had a hard time letting Greyson go, even though his parents had come to the hospital and he ran to them. She had helped people before but he was the first child and she knew he would always be with her. Back at the motel, she scrubbed until her skin was bright red and then she scrubbed some more. The shampoo and conditioner were used until the bottles went empty and the water streamed ice cold before she finally stepped out of the shower.

John was gone when she finally emerged, a plume of steam followed her out. Dean sat on the edge of the bed, his legs crossed beneath him. He watched as she ran a towel through her hair, the air seemed to grow thick between them. Large blue eyes lift to meet his and he forced himself to hold her gaze, he smiled nervously while she fidgeted with her hair.

Nancy cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very nervous. "I uh, thanks again, Dean."

Dean shrugged subtly. "It's all part of the job."

"Right, saving people, hunting things, the family business." Nancy shuddered involuntarily as the eyes of Jay popped into her mind, he looked so hungry, so turned on.

Dean's voice interrupted her train of thought. "Hey, Nanc, you ok?"

Nancy shook herself out of the memory but the shaking didn't stop. "I – I don't think so. You must think I'm not cut out for this."

To be honest, yes, he had thought that, before tonight. After what he had seen in that house, the environment Nancy and Greyson had been kept along with countless others, he wasn't even sure how he would have reacted. He would like to think he would've kept his cool and found a way to save the day without a rescue squad but he honestly had no idea.

Dean stood off the bed and before Nancy could complain, he pulled her from the chair. His arms were around her, hands spread over her back. It took her a moment before she accepted his advance and melted into him, returning the hug. Before she could stop herself, tears were falling freely and her fingers gripped at his shoulder blades. Nancy pulled away, using the back of her hand to wipe at her wet face, she threw Dean a shy smile.

Dean felt as if someone had released a hundred butterflies into his stomach at that smile. He dipped his head and found her lips with his, she was just as surprised as he was that this was happening but she didn't fight it. Neither of them knew much about kissing so it was sloppy and wet but they worked through it and found something they both liked.

The rumble of the Impala drove them apart and they were breathless. John came in with an armful of food and completely missed the air full of hormones as he strode in, placing a kiss on the top of Nancy's head. Dinner was eaten without a word of the kiss and Dean seemed to want to keep it that way.


	8. Chapter 8

**WINTER 1993**

Several months passed without a word from the Winchesters but that didn't stop Nancy from thinking about Dean's lips pressed against hers, the warmth of his mouth as their tongues worked together. Nicole had even caught her in the middle of a daydream, she jumped on the bed and propped herself up on her elbows, her tone curious and playful.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Green eyes sparkled down at Nancy.

Nancy tried not to jump at the intrusion and she felt the heat flood her face. "Nothing."

Nicole giggled excitedly. "Liar, liar, pants on FIRE!"

Nancy rolled her eyes and stuffed her frustration down into her stomach. She wasn't angry at Nicole but rather at the way Dean had treated her after they kissed. He was cold, distant, worse than before, if that was possible. The whole ride home, Dean sat in front with his dad, leaving Nicole the whole back seat. She turned her back and curled into a ball, feigning sleep at first before the rocking of the car lulled her into dreams of full lips and fiery green eyes. Nancy smiled wryly, she knew Nicole wouldn't leave her alone. "You really wanna know?"

"No, I'm asking for my health. Of course I wanna know!" She was borderline giddy, almost as if she already knew Nancy's secret.

Nancy blew out a puff of air, blowing several strands of stray hair out of her face. "Dean kissed me."

If Nancy thought Nicole was giddy before, she quickly learned different. Nicole jumped up to her knees and started bouncing on the bed. "I KNEW IT! How was it? What happened? I want to know these things!"

With a roll of her eyes and a fresh wave of butterflies released in her stomach, Nancy told Nicole about the kiss. As she was telling the story, it was as if Nancy could feel Dean's mouth on hers again, his strong arms as they wrapped around her waist and held her firm against him. How he tasted faintly of peppermint and the smell of his soap filled her as she breathed him in. She didn't bother hiding the fact that it was awkward at first, they didn't know what to do with their tongues or their teeth but it was amazing.

"What happened next?"

Nancy swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry as a cotton ball. "Pop walked in with dinner and it was over. He didn't look at me or talk to me that night or the whole way home."

Nicole settled down next to Nancy and curled up to her older sister. "Boys suck."

Nancy chuckled ruefully, a tear making a sudden appearance. Nancy brought her arm down and gave Nicole a lopsided hug. "That they do Nic."

"You think he'll kiss you again?" Nicole had always been empathetic and understood the feelings of others, even at her young age. She knew from day one that Nancy and Dean liked each other, even though they didn't want to admit it.

Nancy shrugged subtly. "I don't know."

"But you want him to, right?"

Nancy turned to look at Nicole. "What makes you say that?"

"'Cuz you like him."

"Doesn't matter if I like him, Nic, he doesn't want anything to do with me."

"That's not true."

Nancy can't hide the scoff as it roars out of her. The chiming of the Grandfather clock down the hall halts any further conversation, it's time to get dinner started. Nancy pushes off the bed with Nicole at her heels, maybe Bobby would be home tonight. He had gone out on a ghost hunt a few days ago, leaving Nancy in charge.

Nancy knew the routine, don't answer the door if you didn't invite anyone over, don't invite anyone over, make sure all windows and doors are locked, keep a shotgun and a flask of Holy water handy at all times. The clutter of phones that adorned the wall might ring, make sure to answer them as professionally as possible and stick to the script. The last thing they needed was suspicion cast by whatever town they were in by the local authorities.

Bobby didn't want to go on this trip but John was out in Colorado with the boys and there weren't any other hunters close enough to Iowa. "You call me if anything goes wrong, you hear me?"

Nancy pressed a kiss to Bobby's cheek, his face etched in worry. "Dad, don't worry about us. It's Winter break and we know the rules."

Bobby couldn't hide the fact that his eyes welled up at the word 'Dad'. Nancy had taken to calling him that over the fall and why wouldn't she? He was the next best thing and deserved to be called something other than Uncle Bobby. He leaned down to get a hug and kiss from Nicole before leaving, latching the row of locks before he pulled out of the drive. That was 4 days ago.

The girls kept occupied, they read, they talked about boys and they laughed about boys, they watched old black and white movies, they cooked and baked to their hearts content. It wasn't until the phone rang that Nancy started to worry, it was John.

The line was full of static and John sounded like he was in a tunnel. "Has Bobby called?"

Fear bloomed in Nancy's chest. "No, Pop, we haven't heard from him."

"Crap."

"What's going on?"

"We're headed …. Should be ….. couple a hours…. Pack a bag, the usual…. days."

"I can't hear you, Pop."

"Sit tight…. Be there…" The line went dead before John could finish talking.

Nicole had seen the color drain from Nancy's face and waited until the sun yellow phone was set in its cradle. "What's wrong?"

Nancy swallowed hard at the lump in her throat and worked to reign in the fear that ate at her. John wouldn't call unless something was wrong. "I don't know, the line cut out. Run upstairs, looks like you're going on your first hunt." Nicole couldn't hide the excitement, she had always been told she was too young, even though she was only a couple years younger than Sammy. She knew the truth, they didn't want her hunting. If they could save one child from the life, it would be Nicole. Looks like that plan just got thrown out the window.

Two hours later the girls were packed and piled into the back of the Impala with Sam, Dean wasn't budging from his front seat perch. John pulled the Impala back into the snow storm and braved the elements as tires slid on ice and drifts of snow pulled the car towards the ditch. Sam and Nicole barely noticed the bumps and slides, they were immersed in a card game or something. Nancy, try as she might, she couldn't peel her eyes from the side of Dean's face. Several times Dean even turned and met her gaze and for a moment, for the briefest of moments, it looked like he was going to smile and invite her up; he never did.

They drove all night, stopping only for gas and food. The storm was bad, the worst the mid-west had seen in 20 years, it felt as if Mother Nature herself were trying to stop them from getting to Bobby. John wasn't so easy to give up, he maneuvered and coaxed the Impala through the storm and they finally came through the other side, just as they crossed the Iowa border. The group piled into the hotel room that Bobby had paid for, a spare key had been reserved for John, in case of an emergency. It wasn't until the youngest two were asleep before John finally told Nancy what was going on.

"Bobby's in the hospital."


	9. Chapter 9

Nancy felt like she was going to throw up, she wrung her hands together in her lap. "Say that again."

John's dark eyes softened in the dim light. "The ghost got rowdy with the old man and threw him through a wall. He's banged up pretty bad and can't get out of the hospital to close the case. Now, he told me not to bring you girls, that it was too dangerous but I knew you'd wanna see him."

Nancy felt numb, as if she took a bath in ice cold water and couldn't feel anything anymore. Her family was hurt, pretty bad too if they can keep Bobby Singer in a hospital bed. She nodded briskly, a curtain of hair fell from behind her ear and John could see she was having a hard time holding it together. His large hands covered hers and she stilled immediately. "It's gonna take more than a ghost to get rid of Bobby, you hear me? He'll be just fine."

"I wanna help." John tried telling Nancy no, but she wouldn't hear it. She wanted to know all about the case and get rid of the bastard before it could hurt anyone else.

Nancy steeled herself for a ghost that intentionally harmed people out of vengeance, some big bad man that had murdered his family, cut them into tiny pieces and hid them in the walls. What she hadn't expected was a child, a 5 year old boy that had died from influenza and all he wanted was his mommy.

The plan was simple, John, Dean and Nancy would go to the house and try to get the little boy to cross over. Sam and Nicole would tag along but they would be kept out of harm's way, staying in a room that the ghost would hopefully leave alone. The boy had been buried but the flood of 1900 had wiped out the entire cemetery, leaving one hell of a mess to clean up; finding his bones would be next to impossible. As far as Bobby could tell, there hadn't been any remnant of him left behind; no hair held onto as a memento, no favorite blanket or stuffed animal that he carried with him at all times, nothing. Getting him to pass on would be the only way to close this case.

John walked the main level with his rock salt loaded shot gun while Dean and Nancy split the top level, shot guns of their own were locked and loaded. They would pass each other every thirty minutes and each time, Nancy longed to reach out and grab Dean by the collar of his jacket and kiss him. Dean kept his eyes ahead, alert and ever watchful. Each time they passed, Nancy felt as if someone had taken a knife and stabbed her in the heart, twisting the blade for maximum pain.

Nancy wandered into the nursery, fresh mint green paint coated the walls and there were stencils leaning against the walls that would be a zoo motif once they were taped up and more paint was applied. Just as she leaned over to look at the giraffe stencil, the door slammed shut and the temperature dropped fast enough that it took her breath away. The shot gun shook in her hands as she turned slowly to face the door. Standing five feet from Nancy was the little boy. He wore brown shorts with a white t-shirt tucked in and a blue long sleeved button up sweater over that. Dirty socks and well-worn brown shoes adorned his feet. His face was shock white under his mop of dirty brown hair. Bright blue eyes stared at her quizzically and when he opened his mouth, a soft British accent brushed against Nancy's ears. "Are you my mummy?"

Nancy had talked one ghost down but she didn't consider herself a professional. The gun was set down by her feet before hands were held up in a show of good faith. "No honey, I'm not your mommy."

The ghost stomped his foot and it sent a shockwave through the house. "I want my mummy! Where's my mummy?"

Bright eyes scanned the room but the ghost didn't move. "Sweetie, your mommy's gone but I'm sure she's waiting for you." How in the hell was Nancy supposed to get a child to understand the logic of crossing over?

"I want my mummy. Are you my mummy? Muuuuummy!" The boy moved away from the door, giving Nancy enough room to run over and pull hard on the door handle, it was frozen solid and she cried out in pain.

The door shook in the frame. "Nancy? Are you ok?"

Nancy whimpered at the sound of Dean's voice. "He's here but I can't get out."

Just as Nancy was going to warn him about the handle, Dean cried out, pain laced his words. "Son of a bitch froze the handle."

"Mummy? Where are you mummy?" The boys cries were getting louder and the louder they got, the colder the room got.

Nancy's teeth started chattering almost in time with the pounding of Dean's fists on the door. "Dean, go and make sure Sam and Nicole are ok. I don't want him giving them a visit."

"But Nanc – "

"But nothing, Dean, go!"

The ghost flickered so that he moved in a jerky fashion, it drove a chill down Nancy's spine that had nothing to do with the dropping temperature. He turned his bright eyes to her and repeated his question. "Are you my mummy?"

"I'm sorry sweetie but no, I'm not your mommy. You got sick, do you remember?"

"Muuuummmy, where are you mummy?"

Nancy dropped to her knees, they were shaking so badly. "Y – you got sick and I'm sorry, but you died and you've been stuck here."

He changed direction and started walking towards Nancy. "I want my mummy. Where is my mummy?"

"Y – y – your mommy isn't here. She died too and she's waiting for you, can't you hear her?"

There was a clatter in the hall as John skidded to a stop, the butt of his gun thrust against the door handle. "Nancy!"

"I – I got it Pop." Her reassurance did nothing to ease the worry that ate at John, he continued to beat against and work at getting the door open but the little boy had a strong hold and he wasn't going to let go.

Nancy could feel the anger flow off the little boy in waves. "I. Want. My. MUMMY!"

Nancy grunted as the ghost flung his power at her and she slammed against the wall hard enough to rock her to her core. She noticed a hole next to the crib where Bobby had been thrown through, crashing into the empty closet. "I – I can help you. P – p – please let me help you."

His head inclined angrily but there was a softness to his features that tugged at Nancy. "I want my mummy."

"I – I know you do sweetie. Just listen, don't you hear her?" Nancy threw her Hail Mary pass and prayed it worked. She couldn't hear his mother, but that didn't mean she wasn't out there, calling for her son to join him.

The temperature dropped even further and the force holding Nancy increased. "You're not my mummy!"

Nancy groaned loudly as the pressure against her chest increased with each step the boy took. The pounding on the door grew frantic and John was grunting with the effort of his shoulder slamming against the solid partition; Nancy's heart beat in time. Just when black started to litter her vision, the room started to grow warmer and she could swear she heard singing.

"Mummy? Is that you, mummy?"

A voice that sounded like honey drifted through the room. "Yes, my sweet. Now come."

"I can't see you mummy. Where are you?"

"I'm here darling." A bright white light shone from the corner, flooding the cold room with heat.

Nancy fell to the floor, her knees hitting the hardwood floor before she caught herself with her hands. Nancy watched as a woman floated through the wall, clothing typical of the early 1920's and her arms outstretched. The little boy ran to his mother and in the blink of an eye, they were gone. The temperature was restored and the door flew open, John stumbled in with surprise written all over him.

**xxxxxxxxx**

Bobby's eyes fluttered open and the first thing he saw was the girls, each one on either side of him with their heads on his chest and they were fast asleep. John sat next to the window, his long legs kicked out on the other chair. The two men locked eyes and while John smiled, Bobby narrowed his in slight anger. "They wanted to see you, Singer."

Bobby just shook his head, knowing that an argument right now wasn't the best thing. The weight of the girls against him, knowing they were there, was all he needed right now. That and a stiff drink. He placed a kiss on top of their heads and couldn't hide the smile when they snuggled further into him. He kept his voice low so as not to wake them. "Case closed?"

John chuckled as he ran a hand through his greying hair. "Nancy got the boy to cross over."

"She did, huh?"

"I hate to say it because I know how much you hate it, but she's a natural. And Nic, she was itching to get in that room. Put up a hell of a fuss when I wouldn't let her in."

Bobby risked a laugh, he could see it now. Nicole would have stomped her foot, hands balled into fists and her face twisted in anger; green eyes sparkling. "I'll bet she did."

"You get some rest. Doc said you can leave tomorrow but you gotta take it easy."

Even though he had been sleeping for the past 16 hours, Bobby felt exhausted. Take it easy, yeah right. Especially now that it looked like the girls would be coming with on future hunts. He rolled his eyes, he imagined all the extra luggage they would drag along, filling the trunk of his Chevelle. He had driven alone for many years, maybe he would enjoy the company.


	10. Chapter 10

**SPRING 1994**

Nancy noticed a change in Nicole and Sam, they seemed to be disappearing more often and hiding behind closed doors. Nancy sort of knew what was going on, she had seen the way they looked at each other; for being only 12 and 10, the tension between them was palpable. Not that the tension between her and Dean had lifted by any means. He threw headphones on whenever she was in the room but she felt his eyes on her as she passed through. She even found herself humming along with the music that seeped out, finding that it pushed down her feelings, if only for a moment.

Nicole crawled into bed with Nancy one night, everyone had gone to bed late after a dinner of John sharing the latest hunt. "Wanna know a secret?"

Nancy did her best to sound interested, even though she had an idea of what Nicole would tell her. "Of course."

Nicole swallowed hard and chewed on her bottom lip. "I think I love Sam."

Nancy didn't expect that. She turned to Nicole with wide eyes. "You love Sam?" Nicole just nodded, this girl was never nervous but it poured off her tonight. "Well we all love Sammy, Nicole."

Nicole shook her head, almost white blonde hair fell into her eyes; she had just cut bangs in last week. "No, I LOVE him Nanc."

Nancy sat up with her back pushed against the headboard. She watched as her little sister fidgeted with the hem of her faded blue New Kids on the Block t-shirt she always slept in. Nicole barely met Nancy's eyes and that's when she saw it, her little sister was head over heels in love with a Winchester; and they weren't even teenagers yet. "Oh boy…"

"What do you mean 'oh boy'?"

Nancy blew out a breath and watched as it moved through Nicole's hair. "I just… you're 10, which of course you know but… I don't know Nic."

Nicole ran a hand through her hair, sending her new bangs in every direction. "Well I don't know either!"

"Simmer down, don't get mad at me. How does Sammy feel?"

Nicole shrugged, her eyes fell to her fingernails painted bright blue. "He didn't say anything when I told him, probably thinks I'm crazy or something."

"He doesn't think you're crazy, Nic. Maybe because the both of you are so young, he doesn't know how he feels."

Nicole rolled her eyes and turned on her butt before falling back against Nancy's pillow. "Well I wish he'd figure it out."

Nancy joined Nicole and sighed heavily. "You're telling me."

"Dean still acting like you don't exist?"

"Every time I walk in the room, he either throws his headphones on or he cranks up the music. He acts like he'd rather be attacked by a honey badger than talk to me."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

Nancy scoffed. "How? Those damn phones are glued to his head."

"They don't have to be."

Nicole got a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "What are you gonna do?"

"You'll find out." With a kiss to her sister's cheek, Nicole skipped across the room and dove into her bed.

The next morning Dean was rummaging through his duffel, clothes strewn all over the couch and he was mumbling under his breath. Nancy shook her head in disbelief, Nicole had hidden Dean's head phones. Shoes went flying across the room and Nancy had to duck out of the way. "Oy, watch it, Winchester!"

Dean spun around. "Sorry, I thought everyone had left."

"Nah, I didn't want to go into town."

"Great." Dean thought he mumbled it but it turned out louder than he intended.

"Excuse me?"

Dean shot a glance over his shoulder and saw Nancy with her arms crossed against her chest. "Nothing. You haven't seen my head phones, have you?"

"What would I want with them?"

"How would I know?"

"No, Dean, I haven't seen your stupid head phones but maybe now that you're not hiding behind them, we can actually talk."

Dean scoffed as he shoved his clothes back in the duffel. "There's nothing to talk about."

"You kissed me, Dean and as much as you try to hide it, you liked it."

She watched as Dean rolled his eyes, blonde eyelashes caught in the sunlight made her catch her breath. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"That you kissed me or you didn't like it? I didn't dream it, Dean."

"Drop it, Nanc."

"I won't drop it, Dean. You haven't talked to me for months and you won't even look at me. I wanna know why?"

Dean whirled to face Nancy after he threw his duffel behind the overstuffed chair, his eyes were the darkest green she's ever seen and it felt like all the air was sucked out of the room. "Why do we need to talk about this? You know why."

Nancy couldn't stop her eyes from rolling. "You're still all bent out of shape about P – John?"

Dean bristled when Nancy started to say Pop, it rubbed him all wrong. "No."

"What do you want me to do, Dean, apologize? For what? For my family dying? For having people care enough about a child that nobody wanted? Because I won't do it."

"I don't know – "

"You think you're the only one to lose their parent in a tragic way? Grow up, Dean."

"I never knew – "

"Yeah, you never knew because you never asked. You do realize this is the most we've talked to each other and it's only because you can't find your precious head phones."

"Nanc, that's not – "

"Not what? The truth? Not fair? Whatever, Dean. I'm just…. I'm done trying to figure this out." Nancy rubbed a hand over her face, driving her fingers through her long hair.

"This?"

Nancy thrust a finger at Dean, her eyes full of unwanted tears. "This, you and me. You don't want to be friends and you sure as hell don't want to be family. So tell me right now, what do you want?"

Dean just stared at Nancy, this isn't where he wanted to be right now, telling her how he felt. You never talked about your feelings, you shoved them down deep and buried them under piles of crap and here she was, asking him to share. Sharing was not his best trait. "What do I want?"

Nancy grew visibly irritated, her shoulders shook with frustration. "Yes, Dean, please share with the class."

Truth be told, Dean wanted her, all of her; scarred and damaged Nancy. He knew she had her own demons she battled but she was strong, she didn't let them out and they didn't seem to keep her awake at night like it did him. He watched as she stood there, her foot tapping on the hardwood floor, impatience rolling off her and smacking him in the face. She was going to hit him if he didn't answer her. "I want….." Dean shrugged, he was never really good with words and here was this girl asking him to verbalize things he didn't even know if he could.

Nancy rolled her eyes and spun on her heel. "Forget it." Even though she was a full head shorter than Dean, she moved fast, she was halfway up the stairs before Dean caught up.

He gripped her arm and spun her around to face him as he stood on a step below her; they were the same height now and it put their lips in close proximity. Butterflies threatened to climb up his throat. "You didn't let me finish."

Nancy felt his warm breath on her face, the smell of syrup from breakfast lingered between them. "You didn't want to finish, Dean, there's a difference."

For the first time in a long time, he listened to his inner self. It had been screaming at him to tell her the truth. "First of all, I owe you an apology for how I've treated you, it wasn't fair so, I'm sorry."

Nancy licked her lips and wondered briefly if her tongue would touch his lips, they were that close. "Thank you."

"Second of all, to answer your question."

"Yes?" She was almost breathless with anticipation. Nancy knew what she wanted to hear but she was trying to be realistic, he might not want her and she was quickly building a wall around her emotions.

Dean still had a hand wrapped around Nancy's arm, he let it slide down until his fingers found hers. He found himself getting lost in the depth of her blue eyes, they reminded him of the ocean him and Sam went swimming in. He felt his voice grow thick and almost didn't start talking because it felt weird to him. "I want to be with you, I have from the beginning."

Nancy felt the wall she had started to build, crumble into a million tiny pieces. She worked hard to keep her composure, she hated it when people saw her cry. "Why couldn't you just tell me?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Have you met my father?"

Nancy couldn't stop the smile as it tugged at her lips. "Hey, that man saved my life."

"He wasn't the only one."

There was a hint of hurt to his voice that made Nancy feel bad, for a second but then she realized who she was dealing with. "I'm sure you'll get over it."

Sure enough, there was that megawatt smile that made her weak in the knees. "Already forgot about it."

He didn't give Nancy any time for a smart ass comment, his lips were on hers in the beat of his heart. She stiffened in surprise before her eyes fluttered closed. Dean wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her hard against his chest, one hand splayed over the small of her back while the other found the back of her neck and wrapped itself in her silky hair. Nancy gripped the back of his neck and shoulders, her fingers relishing in the feel of his short hair against her skin. They got lost in the feel of each other, the smell and the taste was almost too much to bear and they were breathless in no time.

With their foreheads pressed together, they stared into one another's eyes. Nancy was the first to break the silence. "About time you did that."


	11. Chapter 11

Nicole squealed in delight. "Oh I'm SO happy!"

Nancy felt her cheeks grow warm so she fell back against her pillow, hands covered her face. "Oh my God, is this really happening?"

Nicole jumped on Nancy's bed. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" The room was quickly filled with the laughter and joy of two girls as Nancy gushed about the kiss and Nicole was all too ready to store that information in her rolodex. She would have to see if Sam could do the things with his lips and tongue that Nancy described. Yes, she was only 10 but she sure as hell didn't feel like a kid.

It didn't take long for Nancy to notice how quickly Nicole had gone quiet. "Whatcha thinking about little sis?"

Nicole twisted onto her back and pushed her head next to Nancy's on the pillow. "You think we'll end up marrying them one day?"

"You're 10 and you're thinking about getting married?"

Nicole shrugged. "Just something that popped into my mind."

Nancy sobered completely from her young love induced high and blew out a breath. "I don't know, Nic. What happened with Mary and Karen, this life is rough and brutal and death is almost guaranteed."

"I know, I just thought…."

Nancy turned on her side and propped herself up on an elbow. "Thought what, hon?"

Nicole shrugged again. "I don't know. I'm not stupid, I know what this life will do but maybe we could all be happy. Don't we deserve it?"

Nancy melted when Nicole looked up at her, wide green eyes swimming in a pool of tears. Nancy wrapped Nicole in her arms and felt her hear grow heavy, matching Nicole's. "You would think that in a lifetime of darkness and loss, we would all get to be happy. And who knows, maybe we will."

**SUMMER 1994**

Nicole and Sam were lying on the living room floor, Sam was immersed in a thick book while Nicole drew the scene in one of her many drawing pads. Nancy was lying on the couch with her nose buried in some book while Dean was sprawled in the overstuffed chair. He was supposed to be watching over Sammy but his eyes wandered over to the couch and all over Nancy. She had spent a lot of time in the sun and it showed. Her hair had lightened considerably, adding high lights that would disappear over the winter months, long legs were several shades darker than even a month ago since she had apparently taken up jogging. Currently, her legs were peeking out of a pair of dark blue shorts while a lighter blue tank top adorned her upper body. He could see the strap of her black bra as it slid down her shoulder. Bright red toe nails were wiggling in anticipation of what was happening on the pages she was immersed in.

He felt the corner of his mouth pull up in a lopsided grin and a familiar stirring low in his stomach until a clatter from the kitchen ripped his attention away. Three separate sets of wide eyes all flew to Dean as the noise moved around the adjoined room. Nancy was off the couch and in front of the Sam and Nicole, a large blade unsheathed from somewhere unseen while Dean slid a sawed off out from under the chair. He motioned for them to be quiet before he snuck over to the doorway. Nancy went into high alert, eyes scanned every inch of the room. She couldn't help but wonder what in the world could have broken into their house, Bobby usually had this place locked down like Fort Knox.

Nancy could see Dean shake slightly as he peeked around the corner, not out of fear but his nerves had started eating away at him; he knew that there was a Devil's trap painted on almost every ceiling, so it shouldn't be a demon making all that noise. Fading sun filtered through the window and hit the broken glass, it looked like a pile of glitter on the floor. Whatever was in the kitchen snarled once it saw Dean's face. Dean shot off two rounds  
before he found his voice, commanding everyone to run and hide.

Nancy shook with adrenaline and fear as it clawed its way through her. Sam and Nicole wasted no time in obeying Dean, Bobby had a bunker 50 feet from the backdoor and almost impenetrable. It wasn't until Nancy watched as Dean shot off two more rounds before large hands darted out and grabbed him, that she ran. Bare feet pounded against hardwood before they sank into the dark dirt. The sun disappeared as the door slammed home behind the trio, the locks echoed as they were engaged. They were breathless and shaking but they were safe. Nancy dropped the knife she had clung to, now useless, it sank into the dirt at her feet. Guilt weighed heavily upon Nancy, she had just watched as Dean was taken from them and she didn't do a damn thing about it.

Bobby opened the hatch several hours later, having just returned from a trip into town with John. Nancy and Nicole threw themselves into Bobby's arms, weeping openly while Sam ran to John, not one tear was shed, that John could see anyway. Nancy told them what happened, that Dean had shot four rounds but the creature grabbed him anyway. She didn't get a clear view of it but its hands were large, larger than anything she'd seen.

"Does anything else stand out? A smell or anything?" Bobby knelt in front of Nancy as she sat on the couch.

John started to pace behind the couch, his large boots echoed with each step. Nicole had sat next to Nancy and wrapped their hands together, Sam curled up next to Nicole. Nancy sniffled as she tried to reign in the tears. "No, we were just sitting here when it broke in through the kitchen. Dean grabbed the gun and told us to leave after firing twice. He fired two more times before it reached out and grabbed him; that's when I ran. I'm sorry, I couldn't….. I didn't try and stop it."

"Hey, nothing about this is your fault, darling. Don't you dare think anything like that, you got it?" Bobby pressed his lips against Nancy's forehead before he stood up.

John reached out to run a hand through Nancy's honey hair. "We'll get him back, kid." John and Bobby both knew that Dean and Nancy had started…. dating. They didn't fully approve but there wasn't much they could do about it either.

Bobby and John disappeared into the kitchen, boots crushed slivers of glass as both men surveyed the room. The gun had been discarded after it was snapped in half and there were four shell casings scattered through the mess. John seethed at just the thought of a monster with their hands on his child, he had sworn to protect them at all costs.

The cleaned up the mess and taped up the window before Bobby poured a hefty serving of whiskey for each of them. "It's your call John, what do you wanna do?"

"How could you ask me that? What would you do if it was one of the girls?" John's eyes had gone dark.

Bobby felt a tug in his heart at just the thought. "I'd wanna kill the son of a bitch."

"Then that's what we do."

"Alright. You wanna call in anyone, all hands on deck?"

John swallowed hard as the amber liquid burned its way down. "No, just you and me."

"Rufus is a couple hours away, I could give him a call, he'd be here by morning."

"That crazy old coot? No thank you."

"I was just offering."

"I wish we had more to go on. There's no trace left behind and Nancy didn't see anything…"

Nancy cleared her throat, her fingers clasped together at her stomach. "I just uh, just remembered something."

Bobby and John both emptied their glasses before they turned all attention to Nancy. Bobby urged her on. "What was it, darling?"

"Its hands were white. I know it's not a lot but – "

"It's a lot more than we had. Now why don't you kids head up to bed."

Nancy gave Bobby and John hugs before she headed upstairs, the other two in tow. Bobby arched an eyebrow at John. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

John nodded as a sigh escaped, blown out through pursed lips. "Wendigo?"

Bobby nodded in agreement, his head hung as he clasped the back of a chair. "I haven't seen anything in the papers lately. Nothin' has happened around here."

"Maybe it's new in town?"

"If it is, that's something new, they don't tend to travel."

John shrugged in resignation. "Ya got me, Singer."

After a fitful night of sleep, the group ate and got dressed before heading into town to check the archives at the local library. There was no point in Bobby and John dressing up as FBI, everyone in town knew who they were. Still, that didn't stop them from asking questions about folks disappearing. There were a few cases that hadn't been resolved but they didn't seem to match. By the end of the day, John was visibly frustrated. Nancy and Nicole cooked dinner for everyone, it was eaten in complete silence.

Bobby had an idea and pulled out some old blueprints of property a few miles off. There was a mine shaft that had been shut down in 1983, several kids had gone missing the next year but their families had given up hope and moved out of town a few years ago. John's eyes lit up slightly. "Don't they attack every 10 years?"

Bobby shrugged. "That's the working theory."

Nancy joined the conversation. "So when do we head out?"

Bobby didn't have to try hard to hide the humor in his voice. "You're not going anywhere, John and I are going alone. We'll leave in the morning and should be back by nightfall."

"What if something happens to you? Don't you want back up?" Nancy started at both men with large eyes. The longer they waited meant the longer that Dean endured God knows what.

John dropped down to eye level and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Do you think we could focus with you out there with us? Constantly worrying that something would happen to you? No, you're staying here and that's an order."

Nancy knew better than to argue, besides, someone had to stay and watch over Sam and Nicole, right? If she were John or Bobby, she wouldn't want someone along that couldn't do anything in the first place, she was dead weight.

Before the kids woke up, Bobby and John had packed provisions and the necessary hunting tools and headed due west. The terrain was rough and hardly safe enough to travel by foot let alone a car. Little conversation was exchanged besides hunting stories and several of the kids, the Dean and Nancy situation popped up but both men weren't comfortable talking about the possibility. Deep down, both men knew Dean and Nancy were good for each other, she seemed to be pulling him out of his shell.

Around mid-day, the men approached the boarded up entrance. A plank of wood in the middle had been removed, it hung by one nail, pulled halfway out. After removing the barricade completely, the men armed themselves with flashlights and ventured into the deep tunnel. The darkness seemed to envelop them and swallow them whole. The deeper the men travelled, smells began to grow stronger. A large room opened before them, several pillars of wood kept the crumbling ceiling from complete collapse.

Rotted flesh and human excrement caused the men to gag. A grunt to the right caught their attention and it wasn't until their beams of light full upon Dean, that they breathed a sigh of relief. Dean had a sprained ankle and he cradled his left arm against his chest after John pulled him off the ground, his bounds cut by Bobby. John gave his son a once over and even wrapped a long arm around him in a hug. Dean only winced in pain as they worked out of the large room, every inch of him covered in dirt, the scent of decay lingered on him.

Just as they were about to break free of the tunnel, Dean disappeared from John's grasp. He screamed in agony as ragged teeth dug into his calf and pulled him back into the darkness. The tunnel lit up as Bobby and John squeezed the triggers on their guns until their clips ran empty. The Wendigo just glared at them, blood dripped from his mouth as he dug into the soft skin. It seemed to taunt them as it scuttled back.

Dean dug his fingers into the soft earth and held on with all his might, it slowed the Wendigo down but did not stop him completely. Dean turned to his back and even though his ankle was sprained, he kicked, the heel of his boot crashed into the creature's eye and it howled in pain; releasing Dean in the process. He couldn't walk so he crawled as fast as he could towards his father. The creature was seconds away from pouncing when John called out.

"Hey, ugly!"

Large, black eyes raised in time to see a flare gun aimed at its face. The creature hissed as John pulled the trigger, it burst into flames less than a second later and dissolved into a pile of blood and guts.

Bobby picked up the discarded flashlights while John assisted Dean. The light had started to fade, they were in there longer than they thought. Dean ended up being carried by his dad piggy back style since his ankle couldn't support his weight, let alone withstand the rocky terrain. It took them almost twice as long to get home but when they did, Nancy barreled out of the back door at full speed. John put Dean down since it was most likely that she would want to hug him. Dean grunted loudly as Nancy collided into his chest. She cried into his shoulder and he did the best he could to console her, given that he was standing on one foot and had one arm wrapped around her. "Not that I'm not enjoying this but I need to sit down."

Nancy chuckled shyly and watched as John helped Dean stumble in the back door. Bobby placed his arm around Nancy's shoulder. "He's fine, darling, just a bit beat up." Nancy breathed an audible sigh of relief and all but melted against Bobby as they headed in to tend to Dean's wounds.


	12. Chapter 12

**SPRING 1995**

"Nancy, you're not going." John stood in the doorway, muscled arms folded against his chest.

Nancy was cold but the thermometer she used to take her temperature, argued with her; it read 103. "Pop, please. I'll be fine by the time we get down there." She pulled her blue and white blossom bed spread under her chin and worked at not letting him see her shake.

"You have the flu darlin', I'm sorry but you're sitting this one out."

Nancy pouted visibly. Truth be told, she didn't really want to go with. 8 hours in a rocking car while her body fought off the urge to throw up with each bump and then there would be Dean; she didn't want him seeing her like this. She was gross, her hair was slapped into a messy knot, any loose strands were stuck to the back of her neck and forehead, her face was all blotchy from throwing up and there was an empty bucket by her bed. "Just make sure Nicole doesn't get in over her head, you know how she is."

John shot a wink towards Nancy. "I always do, darlin'. You take care alright? I want to see you with some color in your face by the time we get back."

Nancy's complexion had faded to an undesirable shade of pale that brought out the dark circles under her eyes. "I'll try." John blew her a kiss and quietly closed the door, Nancy was asleep before his footsteps faded.

Bobby had his nose buried in a newspaper, his eyes met John's as he appeared around the corner. "She upset?"

John sank into the kitchen chair with a heavy sigh. "Nah, not really. I think she's more worried about Nic."

"You sure she's ready for a werewolf case?" Bobby arched an eyebrow and made sure that John saw his disapproval. He had given up arguing with John about the girls hunting, it was as useless as arguing about the boys.

John gave a wave of his hand before picking up the half full tumbler glass. "She won't actually be doing any hunting, not if I can help it. She and Sammy will help with the research, the leg work, that sort of thing. Dean and I will put this thing down."

"When ya headin' out?"

Nicole's voice drifted up the drive and through the front door, John and Bobby couldn't help but smile. "Just as soon as she can pack a bag."

John braced himself for impact as Nicole barreled into the kitchen, she had grown a few inches since Christmas but John had a feeling she wasn't going to get too much taller. At four feet 9 inches tall, her face was practically in his stomach when he was standing. She had cut her hair since Christmas too and it looked like there was some pink on the right side of her face. John stood with Nicole in his arms, her legs bent at the knees and crossed at her ankles, she giggled excitedly. "Papa John, I wasn't expecting you to be here."

"What can I say, little one, I missed my girls." John pressed a kiss against her cheek before setting the giddy child on the floor. A long index finger ran through the streak of pink. "Now what is this about?" John feigned anger as his eyebrow popped up. Bobby chuckled softly behind the paper. He had put up a fuss when she first strolled down the stairs, her hair chopped up to her shoulders and a streak about an inch wide had been dyed bright pink. He saw how nervous Nicole was, she just wanted him to like it and not yell at her. He told her he loved it and that it suited her and he was rewarded with a hug that squeezed the air from his lungs.

Nicole's face fell slightly as her hand raised on its own. "I wanted some color."

John couldn't fake his anger any more, his face broke as a smile took over his features. "Darlin' I love it, it fits you. Now, on a more serious note, I have a question for you."

After a fit of giggles, Nicole's features sobered at the seriousness in John's voice. "What is it?"

Bobby folded up the newspaper and set it in the middle of the table, he wanted to see her reaction. He shot Nicole a wink as her eyes flicked to his before they travelled back to John. "There's this case and I could use an extra set of eyes, are you in?"

Nicole didn't react right away, she wasn't sure her ears heard John right. "You're asking me to go on a case?"

John couldn't hide the twinkle in his eyes. "Sure am."

"What about Nancy?"

Bobby cleared his throat. "Nancy's still sick, she's stayin' home with me."

Nicole started to bounce up and down. "You're serious?"

"As a heart attack. Go up and pack a bag, the usual, plan for a week."

Nicole flew around the room and planted a kiss on each of the older men's cheek before she disappeared up the stairs and into her shared room. Bobby shook his head. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

John just sat there and finished his whiskey. "As I'll ever be." 10 hours later, John pulled into the only motel the small town hosted. After he paid for the room, the kids trailed behind him as they lugged their bags into the room. Nicole had fallen asleep about an hour ago, so John carried her in and tucked her into bed. It wasn't long after, that the rest of the Winchesters joined her.

"Dad, the full moon starts tonight." Dean sounded anxious. They had been in town for three days and weren't any closer to ganking this thing.

The group sat around the small table in the hotel, the sun was bright and lit up the room, the front door was also wide open as there was a nice breeze coming from the East. Papers were scattered around the table, the bed and tacked onto the one wall large enough to hold the information. Nicole stood in front of the papers, her short hair tied up in a pony and a pencil stuck out from the binder. She stood with her head cocked to the side as she studied a group of papers.

Sam tried to focus on the papers in front of him but his eyes kept finding their way to Nicole. Wisps of her short blonde hair moved in the breeze and he could swear he smelled strawberries from her shampoo. The dark red short sleeved shirt she wore clung to her sides, dark wash denim shorts adorned her short legs, which were currently very tan from her horseback riding class she had started a couple months ago. Her feet were currently bare, bright blue toenails played with the carpet whenever she moved.

John's voice ripped Sam from a daydream. "I get that, Dean, but we don't know where this thing is gonna strike next."

Dean twirled a pocket knife expertly between his fingers. "Never stopped you before."

John's hands balled into fists, he was past aggravated with his oldest son. "You realize that if I leave, and have no idea where I'm goin', you're staying here?"

Dean stared hard at his dad. "Yeah, it's not like I haven't watched them before."

John clenched his jaw, teeth protested loudly. "You asked for it." He stood up and fished a wad of cash from his wallet. "You order in, you don't leave this room unless it's on fire, you lock the windows, you lock the door and -"

"And keep an eye on Sammy and Nic. I got it, Dad." Annoyance crept into Dean's voice and he worked hard to smother it.

John placed a kiss atop Sam's head and ruffled his hair before he walked towards Nicole. She jumped at the feel of his lips against her hair but softened immediately once his dark eyes met hers. "You keep those boys in line while I'm gone, ok? I shouldn't be gone too long, just want to check something out."

Nicole chewed on her bottom lip. "Be safe out there."

John winked down at Nicole. "Always." With another stern warning to Dean, John lumbered out to the Impala and maneuvered her out of the small, but full parking lot.

Dean was out of his chair like a shot and watched his father pull away from the motel. Check something out, ya right. He was probably headed toward the bar less than a mile away. Dean checked his watch and waited for a full five minutes. Boots were tied and he had thrust his arms into his jacket when bright green eyes caught his. "Where you going?"

Dean scoffed lightly. "Out."

"You're not supposed to."

The oldest Winchester pulled a wrinkled ten dollar bill from the wad John left, he handed the bill to Sam. "You gonna stop me?"

Nicole strolled across the room until she was toe to toe with Dean. "I think if John knew what you were planning, you would think twice about leaving."

Dean fished out a wad of money from his back pocket, it was an easy $300. "I'm gonna find a game and I'm gonna clean 'em out. You got a problem with that, find someone that'll listen to a pipsqueak like you. I'll be home before Dad. Lock the windows and the doors after I leave. You remember the knock, Sammy?"

Sam sat at the table and nodded. "Stay in, just once, Dean."

Dean shot his brother a wink before he blew out of the room. "Not a chance, brother."

Nicole blew out a breath as Sam engaged the lock. "I have a bad feeling about this."


	13. Chapter 13

Sam shrugged before he turned around to face Nicole. "It's Dean, what do you expect?"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "I don't know, maybe that he could act like the big brother he is."

Sam laughed, he couldn't help it. "Seriously?"

Nicole couldn't help it, she joined in with Sam and laughed. Silence formed and stretched between the pair. She watched as his hazel eyes twinkled and found her hands itching to touch him. She swallowed hard as her mouth went suddenly dry. "So, you uh, you find anything about this werewolf?"

Sam cleared his throat as his hand flew to the back of his neck, a sudden itch made itself known. "Nah, not really anything out of the ordinary. I think that Dad and Dean should head out into the cluster of woods to the South. It seems the only place it would hide in such a small town."

The pair had moved in front of the map pegged to the wall. There was a large red circle surrounding a patch of woods that John had mentioned, several witnesses had stated seeing a large creature either coming from or running into the woods. "That's 50 square miles of woods. You think we'll catch it this month?" This was Nicole's first big hunt and she was excited about the possibility that it could stretch out for more than a month but she knew that meant the loss of human life and she didn't want that.

"Dad'll gank it, that's for sure." Sam knew how much Nicole cared about human life.

Sam gave Nicole's shoulder a squeeze before turning away. Nicole decided to seize the opportunity. In the blink of an eye, she grabbed the collar of his button up plaid shirt and turned him back around. Confusion flooded his eyes but deep down, his stomach stirred with excitement. Nicole chewed on her bottom lip before she pushed herself almost en pointe and found Sam's lips with hers. Sam's eyes went wide and he didn't know what to do with his hands but the warmth of her lips soon took over all conscious thought. His eyes fluttered closed and his hands press against her back as they pulled her against him. They had hugged and cuddled and given each other pecks on the cheeks and corners of the mouths before but nothing like this. A warmth flooded both of them as they figured out how to move their lips and tongues against each other in a way they both liked.

After no time and all the time in the world passed them by, their lungs screamed for air before they finally separated. Nicole's cheeks were brilliant pink and both of their mouths were kiss swollen. Nicole swallowed hard when her eyes met Sam's, they were the same ones she'd looked into for several years now but there was something different in them and it drove a shiver along her spine. She watched as he sucked on his bottom lip, as he savored the taste of her, before she pulled herself away. "We should uh, get back to work."

It took Sam almost a full minute before he answered, his voice struggled to work properly. "Sure, work." He watched as she turned and walked back to the wall before he reached down and tugged at his jeans, they were suddenly very tight. This was sure going to be interesting.

Dean slid the stack of bills he had won into the center of the table. "All in." He tried not to let it show that he had a good hand, three Queens and a pair of tens, full house. There was only one other player that matched his bet, confidence rolled off both of them. Dean spread his cards on the table, his long fingers flat against the table as he waited. The other kid arched his brow before his cards were set down, he had Dean beat with a Royal Flush. Dean clenched his jaw as the kid pulled his hard earned money towards him, a shit eating grin spread across his face. "Better luck next time, huh?"

Dean wanted to punch him square in the jaw and wipe that grin off his face but he knew better. He pushed away from the table and strode out of the abandoned farm house. It was a mile from the motel and according to his watch, he had played for a couple of hours and he had a feeling that if he didn't get back to the motel soon, there would be hell to pay. Less than 15 minutes later, he knocked on the door after a thank you escaped that the Impala hadn't returned. Sam opened the door a heartbeat later and held up a finger to his mouth, Nicole had laid down not that long ago. Dean didn't bother telling Sam that he lost everything, that they had no money for food, Sammy didn't need to know that. Dean was the big brother, he'd figure it out.

The next night, John and Dean geared up and worked their way through the woods while Sam and Nicole waited in the car, if they didn't find the beast in the next couple nights, they would need to wait another month. The weight of losing all their money weighed on Dean but he couldn't tell his father, John'd beat the daylights out of him. Conversation was kept to a minimum, if it needed to be said, it was; otherwise, the only sounds were their feet falling on the soft earth. They spread out but made sure to always have the other in their sight, this was better fought with two people and sticking together was a must.

Several hours passed before John gave the signal to head back to the clearing. Their boots were about to break the threshold when a throaty growl stopped Dean in his tracks and his heart kicked into overdrive. It felt as if Dean moved in slow motion as the beast tore out of its hiding spot and slammed Dean to the ground, its massive paws drove into his chest and pushed the air out of his lungs. The crossbow fell just out of his reach as his back collided with the ground and his hands flew to the paws, he tried with all his might to get them off but they wouldn't budge.

Dean stared up into large eyes and drool from exposed teeth dripped onto his neck, the smell of death and decay was enough to make Dean gag. Usually a good shot, John missed hitting the lycan with several silver tipped bows so he tossed it to the ground and dug for his pistol. They didn't have any silver rounds but anything to get it off his child. Shots rang out and hit home, blood spilled out and onto Dean but John got what he wanted; the beast dove off of Dean.

John yelled at Dean as he ran along the line of trees, draw the beast away from the children, which was his main goal. Dean coughed hard as his lungs struggled for air, he pushed off the ground and grabbed the crossbow. He wasn't as fast as his father, or the beast, but he pushed off after them. When he finally found his voice, he gave a holler as he shot off an arrow, barely missing the lycan. Both John and the beast stopped and turned to watch Dean try and reload the crossbow with shaking hands; adrenaline can either be the greatest or worst thing. A howl ripped through the air a heartbeat before the beast lunged towards Dean. He lifted the crossbow, took aim and pulled the trigger. The arrow plunged into the heart of the beast, killing it before it hit the ground.

John was breathless by the time he reached his son. "Nice shot, son."

Dean tried to smile but the pain that ripped through his chest with each breath, was almost enough to drive him to his knees. "Thanks. You wanna drag him out there, usual clean up?"

Dean nodded towards the forest and John followed his son's line of sight. "Yeah, just let me check on Sammy and Nic."

Nicole was on the verge of tears as she watched the whole fight unfold but Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. She didn't think it would be as close as it was but watching Dean get thrown around like a rag doll sort of put things in perspective. Yes, she knew the life was dangerous and it could kill you but actually seeing it happen was sort of sobering. John got her calmed down before he and Dean drug the body deep into the forest and set it ablaze. It was late when they pulled into the motel parking lot so they decided to take showers and head out the day after, just to make sure there wasn't another werewolf lurking in the shadows.

The next night, John decided to go solo and left the kids in the motel for the night. Bruises blossomed over Dean's chest and neck while some even appeared on his wrists and forearms so John told him to take it easy tonight. Sam watched as his brother moved stiffly around the room after the roar of the Impala faded. "What are you doing?"

Dean winced as he bent to tie his boots. "We need food."

"Just call something in."

"Nah, I could use the fresh air. Don't you two do anything I wouldn't do." Dean forced a wink before the door slammed closed. Where the hell was he going to get food with no money?

John jumped out of bed at the sound of someone's fist on the door. He threw on a pair of pants and shirt before he opened the door. A young officer wearing aviator style sunglasses forced a smile. "You John Winchester?"

"Yeah." John was a few inches taller than the office and strained to see over his capped head.

"My name is Officer Jones and I have a young man in the back of my squad, says you're his dad."

"Is that so?" John couldn't see Dean's face but if he knew what was good for him, his eyes would be plastered to the floor of the squad car.

"Do you have a son, Mr. Winchester?"

"I have two."

"And are they both present?"

John tossed a look over his shoulder, Sam and Nicole were still sleeping so he stepped into the cool morning air and closed the door behind him. "One of them is."

"Come with me, please."

John followed the officer to his squad and watched with hard eyes as the door was opened and Dean stood up, his wrists bound together by cuffs and shame etched in his face. "Can I talk with him alone, please?" The officer nodded, touched the tip of his finger to his hat and strolled to the other end of the parking lot. Dean didn't look up, his eyes remained rooted to the ground. John's voice dropped and all the anger rolling through him was evident for Dean to hear. "What in the HELL happened, boy?!"

Dean winced knowing full well that his father wanted to strike him and that lying would only make John madder. "We didn't have any food."

John crossed his arms. "And?"

"I broke into a gas station and tripped the alarm."

John drew in a large amount of air, held it for 10 seconds and blew it out roughly. "Where'd the money go?"

Dean met his father's gaze for the first time. "I lost it."

If John thought he was angry before, he was wrong, fresh red hot rage flowed through him. "You did WHAT?"

"I took the money and found a poker game and some punk beat me."

"Boy, I'm gonna beat you."

"I'm sorry."

"You're the big brother, I leave YOU in charge and what do you do? You throw away MY hard earned money. Then you have the NERVE to get caught breaking and entering?"

Dean swallowed hard. "Yes, sir."

John reached up and pushed his hands through his hair. He turned and caught the attention of the young officer, who jogged over. "Officer Jones, what is the punishment if I leave him in your care?"

Dean opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by John's hand in front of his face. The young officer flipped open his notebook and pulled out a card. "He will be sent here until you see fit to gather him."

John looked at the card, it read Sonny's Home for Boys and listed an address and phone number. John looked at his son harshly before meeting the hidden eyes of the officer. "Take him there, you have my permission." John watched as Dean was forced back into the squad and as it drove down the main road through town, this wasn't going to be easy to explain to the kids.

The ride home was mostly quiet, Sam had asked where his brother was and John told him that he had gone out and was missing. He would drop the kids with Bobby and go on another hunt but he would tell the kids that he was looking for Dean. His plan was to let Dean sit there for a while, serve his time and then he would collect him. What he hadn't planned on was the wrath of Bobby.

"You let them take him, you gave your permission?" Bobby worked hard at not yelling since everyone else was asleep.

"He gambled, he lost and he broke the law."

"John, we've all broken the law."

"He got caught doing it, big difference!"

"There's plenty of times you've almost been caught –"

"Bobby, don't. He's my son and I'm punishing him how I see fit."

Bobby worked his jaw hard enough that his teeth screamed. "It ain't right."

John shook his head. "According to you, none of this is right. So tell me, what would you do?"

"I wouldn't leave him in another state sitting in a home for troubled kids!"

Nancy gasped. "You said he was missing, that you were going to look for him."

John placed his hands on the back of the chair and hung his head hard enough to send a shot of pain down his neck. He didn't have to look at her to see the pain. "You're supposed to be in bed, darlin'."

"Don't you darlin' me right now, Pop. Where is Dean?" Nancy folded her arms over her chest and chewed on her bottom lip.

John stood tall and faced Nancy. "He got caught breaking and entering and is in a boy's home as punishment."

Nancy shook her head. "Why would he do that?"

"He lost the money I gave him for food, gambling."

"So you just let them take him?"

A heavy sigh filled the room. "Yes. I'm his father and the punishment fits the crime. If I had caught him instead of that youngster, he'd be in juvie."

"H – how could you? He's your son."

"Exactly! He's MY SON!"

Nancy shrunk back at the outburst, tears filled her large eyes. "When will he come back?"

"When I see fit. Now stop asking so many damn questions and get in bed!"

Nancy turned on her heel and fled up the stairs. Bobby was in John's face and shoved him hard. "You. Get. Out. Now. You go and you get that boy and I don't want to see you until you do!"

"Bobby -"

"Don't Bobby me. My house, my rules. You want to leave Sammy here, fine but you're not to set foot back here until you are either on your way to get Dean or you've already gotten him. Now, out!" With one final push, John stumbled off the front steps and watched with an open mouth as the door closed.

**2 MONTHS LATER**

Sonny knocked on the door before he entered the room. "Hey, kid."

Dean smiled wide. "Sonny, how's it going?"

Sonny looked behind him before he met Dean's eyes. "Dean, your old man's outside and, man, he's really something. I tried to tell him how good you've been doing and ask him if he could come back later. He just said to tell you he had a job, said you'd know what that means." Dean nodded as a flood of emotions washed over him. Sonny watched as Dean fought an internal battle. "You know, after I got out of jail, this place gave me a second chance, and it's done the same for you, too. So if you want, I'll stick my neck out for you, and I'll fight for you to stay." Dean knew Sonny would go to bat for him, the conviction in his voice was the most honest thing he's ever heard.

Dean struggled to find the right words to say to Sonny but the horn of the Impala cut through the night air. Dean walked to the window and saw the car, Sam was hanging out the back window while Nicole and Nancy stood by the trunk. Two months without seeing Nancy and he had started to feel like he wasn't going to see her again. Dean laughed through the tears and turned to face Sonny, a hand held out in front of him.

"Sonny…. thank you, for everything, but I have to go."

Dean and Sonny shared a hug before Dean gathered his few belongings. Nancy ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I missed you." Her breath was hot on his skin.

Dean sighed heavily and returned the embrace, his hands pressed against the small of her back. "I missed you, too."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter contains a sexual situation.**

* * *

Nancy didn't talk to John for 6 months, not that he didn't try, there were times he practically begged but she was still too burned by his decision to hide Dean away in punishment. She kept her nose buried in books and attached to Dean's hip whenever they blew through town, not that Dean minded one little bit.

"She'll come around, John." Bobby sipped at his whiskey and kept an eye on the couch where Dean and Nancy had fallen onto no more than 10 minutes ago.

John wanted to storm into the living room and rip the two lovebirds apart but he had something else on his mind. "I got a case I was hoping to hit solo, you mind?"

Bobby sighed heavily. "A solo case, huh?" Of course he didn't mind taking the boys, he always thought of them as his own anyway.

John eyed the older man and unsuccessfully hid a scoff. "Ok, you caught me. I was hoping to go and visit a friend."

"Uh huh, a friend."

John swallowed the last of his drink angrily. "You got something to say old man, say it."

Bobby licked a drop of whiskey off his bottom lip before chewing on it roughly. "You know what I think about the situation with Kate and the boy."

John's voice dropped into a deep rumble. "He's got a name, you know."

They've had this argument a hundred and one times, of course Bobby knew his name. "Adam, yes, I know his name, I'm sorry."

John slid down in the kitchen chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him as he dug at his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Kate and Adam, they don't know about this, any of it and I don't want them getting pulled into this. If I can save them the way I couldn't save…"

Bobby heard the tremble in John's voice at the thought of Mary. "Don't you think the boys deserve to know they have a brother?"

"No." Deep down, John knew he was protecting Kate and Adam the way he couldn't protect Mary and even Dean and Sam, that was the bottom line. That didn't stop the twinge of guilt from appearing every time Bobby brought it up.

The glass rocked back and forth between Bobby's fingers and the subject was dropped. It bothered him greatly that there was a child out there that didn't know he had family but ultimately, it wasn't Bobby's decision to make. John had a lot on his plate right now, he always did and he probably always would. After a breakup of the make out session on the couch and a quick goodbye, John went out on another "hunt".

It was a week later when Dean and Nancy had found a spot in the southwest corner of Singer Auto. It was hidden by a line of century old trees and even had a little crick running through it. Even though there was a bite in the air, the promise of bitter cold and snow, they found themselves occupying the patch of grass that lie directly below an opening in the trees. They lie on their backs with their heads close and fingers entwined and just stared at the stars that looked like diamonds against a velvet backdrop.

Dean's thumb brushed against the back of Nancy's hand. "Whatcha thinking about?"

His voice startled her, she had gotten lost in her thoughts. "Nothing."

"You know you're a horrible liar."

Nancy sighed heavily. "Are you mad at John?"

Dean wasn't the first to notice she had stopped calling him Pop. He shrugged absentmindedly and turned to look at her profile. "I was pissed, at first but it was his call. I messed up and that was the punishment he saw fit."

Nancy clenched her jaw and shook her head. "I still can't believe he did that."

Dean used his free hand to gently force Nancy to look at him. He saw the betrayal she felt by John as it flooded her eyes. "Yeah, it was a dick move but you know how he is, I'm lucky he sent me to Sonny instead of the other option." Silence fell between them, they both knew what the other option was and it would have left him black and blue and possibly scarred.

Nancy rolled to her side and placed her free hand over Dean's, his thumb brushed against her cheekbone. She suddenly felt as if a thousand butterflies were freed in her stomach. Dean could tell something was eating at her, his brows furrowed together in worry. "I know that look and I'm fine."

Dean chuckled nervously. "Ok but something's going on. Something besides my old man."

Nancy chewed on her bottom lip and let her eyes wander over Dean's features. He was only 16 but she could see just how handsome he would be. There was a scar on his chin that she had the sudden urge to kiss. She knew if she didn't get it out, that if the moment passed, she might never say it. "I love you, Dean."

Dean felt his heart kick in to overdrive at Nancy's confession and was struck silent. He was flawed and felt unworthy of her love, too many verbal beatings from his father sounded off in his mind. His silence made her pull away but he grabbed her hand before she could flee. She looked down at him and her eyes swum in unshed tears. "Where you going?"

Nancy sniffled, trying to choke back the tears. "Away."

Dean rolled his eyes and tugged her down until she was sitting in his lap. Moss green eyes stared hard into her crystal blue ones as he placed a hand on her face, tangling his fingers in her hair. "I don't want you to go away."

Nancy shrugged and fought the urge to close the distance between them. She wanted to hear him say it back, that he loved her and couldn't live without her. You know, the things any girl wants to hear. "I just –"

"Didn't give me a chance to answer you." He tried to hide the smirk that tugged at his lips but she saw it and swatted him in the shoulder.

"Fine, what were you gonna say?" The warmth of his hand started to spread down her neck and began effecting other areas. The butterflies had begun to grow restless and it felt like they were multiplying.

He chuckled as she hit him but quickly grew serious at the feel of her nervousness. How was he going to put into words how he felt? He was 16 and a hunter, not a poet, he didn't have a way with words the way most people did. She deserved to know the truth. "I love you too."

Her eyes went wide at his confession and the butterflies disappeared completely. Instead of feeling nervous and scared, she felt…. downright giddy. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck and smiled widely when she felt him do the same. They both knew how Bobby and John felt about their relationship but they didn't care. They've been told they're too young, that they didn't know what love is like and that they should slow it down. Yeah, like they were going to listen.

The breath on Nancy's neck was hot and it blew down the collar of her shirt. Every time she took in a breath, she was filled with the smell of him and it caused a different kind of fluttering in her stomach. They had made out heavily before but no clothes were ever removed and hands stayed on the outside of said clothing. Not that they didn't want to do more but the time was never right or they were never completely alone. Tonight was different, John was on a hunt and Bobby was in the house with Sammy and Nicole.

Nancy pressed her lips against Dean's neck, just below his ear while her fingers buried themselves in the hair at the base of his head. Dean responded in kind, he buried a hand in her hair while the other travelled down her back and pulled her against him as their lips found each other. Nancy shifted in Dean's lap as she moved her legs from under her to around his waist. Dean couldn't hide the moan as her body rubbed against his. The swell of her breasts as she breathed and he knew she could feel him through two layers of jeans.

They were both panting for air when he pulled his mouth from hers. His hand had found its way under her shirt and it rested under the clasp of her bra. "We should uh – probably stop."

She watched as he licked his lips and sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, she ran a finger along his scar and under his bottom lip. "Why?"

Dean dug his fingers into the soft skin of her back. "You want to? You're sure?" If possible, he felt his jeans grow tighter at the possibility.

Nancy thought she'd be nervous when the time came, losing her virginity, but something felt so right about it that she would kick herself if she passed up the chance. She shifted against him and her breathing hitched deep in her throat. "Yes."

That was all the incentive either of them needed. The grass was soft as Dean laid Nancy on her back, her sweatshirt removed and rolled up to be used as pillow. As they kissed, clothing was discarded and hands wandered and soon they were skin on skin. Dean settled himself between Nancy's legs and could feel her heat against every inch of him. He watched as Nancy chewed on her bottom lip, every inch and curve exposed to him for the very first time. She sensed his hesitation and pushed up with a foot, forcing contact of their most sensitive spots. His head fell down at the new sensation and she pressed a kiss against his forehead. She kissed down the side of his face before overtaking his mouth, reassuring him that this is what she wanted.

With the assistance of his hand, he slid into her slowly. She was tight and sucked in a breath at the intrusion. With their eyes focused on each other, their hips moved slowly towards one another until Dean was met with more resistance. Nancy cried out as her virginity was stripped away. Every inch of Dean throbbed as he felt Nancy tighten and relax around him but as good as it felt, he didn't move for fear he'd hurt her.

It felt like it took longer than the thirty seconds that passed before the pain subsided deep in Nancy's stomach. She lifted a leg to hook over Dean's hip and bit her lip when she felt him sink deeper yet. Their mouths met in a hungry kiss as their bodies rocked and swayed together. Dean felt a pressure start to build and it was getting stronger each time their bodies connected. As far as he could tell, she was feeling it too because he felt her start to quake around and beneath him.

Nancy grabbed at Dean's lower back, pulling him harder against her as she felt herself climb higher and higher until she couldn't take it any longer. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out as her orgasm ripped through her, clamping muscles down against Dean as he pushed himself to the edge. With a grunt, he buried himself deep in her warmth and shuddered as he came.

He felt his arms grow weary so he propped himself up on his elbows and covered her completely with his body, her legs were still wrapped around his waist as they kissed slowly and thoroughly. He looked down at her and with her lips kiss swollen and her cheeks flushed, she was the most beautiful he had seen her.

He suddenly remembered her cry as he entered her fully. "Are you ok?"

The smile that took control was full of satisfaction. "Of course I'm ok. Unless I did something wrong?"

His fingers spread through her hair as it lay spread around her shoulders. "No way, there was nothing wrong about any of that!"

Relief flooded through her. She didn't think she did anything wrong but hindsight being what it is, she couldn't help but doubt herself. Dean shot her a wink before he kissed her gently. "We should probably get back before they think we've been attacked." She tried to keep her voice light but she wanted desperately to stay where she was.

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like this part." He cleared his throat roughly as their hips separated and he was clear of her. "Yup, I was right."

Nancy bit her lip as she felt Dean withdraw, she felt so empty without him. They gathered their discarded clothing and got dressed. Nancy ran her fingers through her hair before shoving it up into a loose knot, trying to make it look casual and not like she was hiding evidence of having a roll in the hay. With their hands clasped together and smiles ever present, they emerged from the trees and worked their way through the massive car lot.


	15. Chapter 15

The house was dark as the pair snuck in and Dean gave Nancy a long, hard kiss before sneaking down the hall into the room he shared with his brother. Nancy heaved a sigh as she tried without fail to close the door without the hinges squeaking in protest. She had pulled her nightshirt over her head and just started to work a brush through her long hair when Nicole cleared her throat.

Nancy whirled around with a cry strangled in her throat. "Damn it, Nicole!"

"Where'd you and Dean scamper off to?" Nicole's voice had a playful tone to it.

Nancy shrugged as she sat on the edge of her bed, the brush still worked at a few tangles. "We found a small sort of cove behind a line of trees, really quiet and secluded." Nancy tried not to let the images and feelings of Dean assault her too badly.

Nicole could sense a change in her sister and wanted to find out why she was suddenly so happy. Nancy had seemed so angry over the past couple of months, ever since Dean had run away after the werewolf case. "Oh yeah?"

Nancy sighed and before she could stop herself, a word tumbled out. "Yeah."

"Alright, spill the beans sister, what happened?"

Nancy chewed on her bottom lip and a flash Dean doing the same thing to that very lip no less than 20 minutes ago, bombarded her senses. "You can't tell anyone."

Nicole waved her hand in the air as she closed the distance between them and sat down next to Nancy. "If you know me by now, you KNOW I can keep a secret."

Nancy nodded, of course she knew Nicole. They had been in the same foster family for almost 4 years before ghouls tore through the house. The butterflies from before emerged and filled her stomach wildly with their wings. "I had sex with Dean."

Nicole's jaw went slack and her eyes followed suit. "Really?"

"Yeah. It was sort of spontaneous. I told him I loved him and he said it back and it just… sort of happened."

A smile pulled at Nicole's lips. "How do you feel? Do you feel different?"

Nancy blew out a breath as her fingers dove through her hair. "Yes and no. Part of me feels like Pop and Dad will be able to tell just by looking at me."

"Nah, nothing that I can see is different about you. Besides the fact that you're smiling again."

She was, Nancy's lips were pulled back and she couldn't stop. As painful as it was when Dean filled her, that sensation was nothing compared to what followed. She wanted to run down the hall and have him again and again. "Sorry about being a total grouch lately."

Nicole gave a shrug. "You were just upset that Dean ran away."

Nancy felt the smile falter. "Yeah, that's why." That wasn't why but Nancy had promised that she wouldn't tell Sam or Nicole what really happened to Dean.

"Besides, I've been keeping a secret from you." There was a twinkle in Nicole's already bright eyes and her smile rivaled Nancy's previous one.

"You've been holding out on me? Tell me!"

The words tumbled out of Nicole's mouth faster than she anticipated. "IkissedSam."

Granted, hearing that someone kissed someone else right after a confession of someone else having sex, was a little anticlimactic. Nancy was not any less excited about the news and she threw her arms around her little sister. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

Nicole sighed into her sister's hair. "You just seemed so…. down."

"This would have made me happier." Nancy pushed Nicole back and matched her mega-watt smile. "Promise if anything else happens, you'll tell me straight away."

Nicole nodded in agreement. "You got it big sis." There was hardly any sleep that night as the girls gushed and filled each other in on all the little details of the kiss and Nancy's first time. Nicole paid close attention to every detail.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**SPRING 2000**

Bobby slapped the massive pile of mail on the kitchen table and sighed heavily. More and more mail was coming for Sam, not that he minded, it wasn't just his house. He took advantage of the quiet that surrounded him and separated it into piles. One particular envelope took up the majority of the mass. It was thick and white and had the word STANFORD on the upper left corner. Bobby felt his stomach drop, John was not going to be happy. At the sound of the Impala pulling to a stop outside, Bobby hid all of Sam's mail in an empty drawer. Nicole breezed into the house and brought in the smell of rain behind her, dark clouds had started their journey from the East. Sam's large hand was wrapped around Nicole's much smaller one and they each had mile-wide smile. John all but stumbled in behind the happy couple, sleep and pain clouded his face.

"Everyone alright?" Bobby approached Nicole with his arms open and accepted the small bundle of blonde hair and giggles.

"Yeah Dad, we're good. Papa got a bit banged up but that's par for the course."

Bobby clapped Sam on the shoulder and dropped his voice. "Don't go far, we gotta talk."

"Yes, sir."

As Sam and Nicole worked on unloading the Impala before the storm hit, Bobby approached John. "You need anything?"

Their eyes fell to John's shoulder. His shirt was torn and blood stained with a piece of gauze slapped over a gaping wound. "You got a steady hand?"

"I'll meet you upstairs."

An hour later and thunder crashed around the house, lightning not far behind it. Wind fueled rain slapped against the house. Bobby closed the door and left John to nurse himself to sleep with a bottle of Jack. Sam met his gaze and followed him into the kitchen. He watched as Bobby washed the blood off his hands before he reached into a drawer and pulled out a pile of letters. "These came while you were gone."

The older man watched as Sam's eyes lit up but as each envelope was opened and each letter read, the hope began to die. He tossed the papers into the garbage. "Guess I'll have to try some of the community colleges."

"It really means that much to you?"

"You know it does Bobby. I'm graduating in a couple months. I want out, I'm done following a man that's blinded by revenge and fueled by hate."

Nicole came in and sat down at the table, her large green eyes stared up at the one she loved. "You will, babe."

Bobby watched as Sam winked down at Nicole. He opened the drawer again and held out the heavy envelope. "You got one more, kid."

Sam's face lit up like the fourth of July as he ripped into the package. He mumbled under his breath as his eyes scanned the words of acceptance and the offer of a full scholarship. "I got it? I got it! Babe, I got it!"

Nicole grabbed the paper from Sam as she stood and felt his arms wrap around her waist. He re-read the words over her shoulder and heard her whisper the words he just read. Tears filled her eyes and the words begin to blur beneath her. She spun around and planted a kiss against Sam's full lips before he lifted her off the ground. With her lips against his neck, she found it hard to speak. "I'm so proud of you."

Bobby cleared his throat. "Sam, I'm proud of you and I hate to burst your bubble here, boy but you gotta tell your old man."

Any happiness felt by the couple was sucked out of the room, replaced by reality. Sam lowered Nicole to the floor and somber eyes met Bobby's. "Yeah, I know."

Bobby knew how John would feel, he'd been very vocal about it over the past year. Sam had mentioned going to college since his junior year but John would hear nothing of it. Sam was to hunt and kill as many evil things as he could and get revenge for the death of Mary, the mother he didn't remember. Bobby placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You have my full backing, you always have and you always will, remember that. You need to stay here, you can for as long as you need."

"Thanks Bobby." Sam and Nicole's voices melded together.

Bobby excused himself and trudged into his office where he filled a glass with gin and buried his nose in books and a file for a possible case. Sam sat down and pulled the paper and corresponding pamphlets and books towards him. Nicole pressed a kiss against his temple and ran her fingers through his hair. "Talk to me."

Sam shrugged as a sigh ripped out of him. "I want this so bad."

"I know you do and I want it for you."

"Come with me?" Hazel eyes met Nicole's and he looked so much like a puppy.

"You mean to Stanford?"

"Of course I mean to Stanford. It was your idea to fill out the forms. I can't do this without you."

Nicole smiled as she trailed a finger along his jaw and into the dimple his chin held. "Of course."

The pressure of Sam's mouth against hers was sudden and fierce. He turned so Nicole could stand between his legs and his hands found their way to her hips. Being short held an advantage, she didn't have to bend down very far to respond to his advances. Their mouths opened to each other at the request of their tongues and their bodies molded together.

Nicole ripped her mouth from Sam's and panted as she felt his lips trail down her neck and nip at her exposed skin. "We're not alone in the house."

Strong fingers massaged Nicole's lower back before they descend to her bottom. He pulled her hard against him. "I don't care."

A soft moan fell from Nicole's mouth at the feel of Sam hard against every inch of her. The deep ache she always had for him roared to life and threw all inhibition out the window. She grabbed a hand from her butt and held a finger up to her lips before they crept up the stairs. Nicole engaged the lock on her bedroom door mere seconds before Sam's mouth was on hers again. Their clothes disappeared in a flash and they fell to the bed in a tangle of limbs. They'd had sex many times before and it varied from soft and slow to fast and furious, this was one of those times.

Nicole wrapped her short legs around Sam's waist and urged their bodies together. With a hand wrapped around himself, Sam guided his length deep into her. Her walls quaked around him as she adjusted to his size and both of them shuddered as their bodies connected. Nicole rocked her hips when she was acclimated to him and they worked together at a pace that set the sounds of skin against skin throughout the room. The only times their mouths parted was when they reached their climax and they had to work to keep silent. They lie together afterwards with Nicole's head against Sam's heart and their fingers trail lazy circles over damp skin. Without meaning to, they fall asleep tangled together.

John's fist pummeled the door. "SAM! Boy you better get out here or I will BUST THROUGH THIS DOOR!"

The pair jump out of bed and shove clothes on as if their lives depend on it. Sam risked the chance of his father's growing anger and took the time to kiss Nicole. "Pack whatever you can. I have a feeling we're gonna leave today. Are you ready for that?"

Nicole swallowed hard and nodded into Sam's hands. "Yes." With a chaste kiss, Sam turned and opened the door just as John was going to ram the door. He strode past his father and let his long legs carry him down the stairs. Nicole avoided the rage filled eyes and started to throw the things she couldn't live without into the oversized duffel.

John was hot on Sam's heels. Once they cleared the stairs, he grabbed Sam's arm and whirled the 18 year old around. "What is this?"

The acceptance letter from Stanford was crumpled in John's shaking hand. "I think you know what it is, dad."

"We talked about this-"

"No, you talked about it. I'm 18 and I can do what I want."

"You want to abandon this family?"

"No. I want a life outside of this family. I want to have a chance at being happy and with this-" Sam pointed to the letter. "I have that chance."

John crumpled the letter and threw it over Sam's shoulder. It missed the garbage by a foot. "You're not going."

"You can't stop me."

"You want to bet?"

Sam's lips pressed together in a flat line. "I'm going, dad and that's that. It won't cost you a penny and I'll be out of your hair."

"I don't want you out of my hair. I want you here, helping me fight."

A frustrated growl ripped out of Sam. They've had this argument more times than Sam can count. "I don't want to fight. I'm tired of fighting."

"You will stay."

John edged closer to Sam and from the top of the steps, Nicole saw that Sam was prepared to take a swing at his father. She dropped her bag and was down the stairs in a flash. Somehow, she worked her way between the two and looked up into John's eyes. "Would you stop it?!"

"This isn't your fight, half-pint."

"Like hell it isn't! He filled out those application forms because I insisted. You wanna be mad at someone, be mad at me. You want to hit someone, hit me!" Nicole shoved her small hands against John's chest and he actually stumbled back.

Hard brown eyes met feisty green ones and both were prepared to not back down. Sam pressed his hand against the small of Nicole's back. "Go get your bag."

Bobby cleared his throat from the back of the room. He knew Nicole would go with Sam when the time came. A set of keys hung from his index finger along with a piece of paper for an account he had set up in her name a week after he signed the guardian papers. "She's not perfect, but the tank is full and I just put new tires on her last week."

Nicole placed a kiss against the scruffy cheek. "Thanks."

Sam stood by the front door and waited. With the keys in her pocket and the bag in her hand, Nicole turned to give one last imploring look to John but he just shook his head in anger. "You walk out that door, don't you ever come back, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." The front door slammed closed and left the house and its inhabitants in silent rage.


	16. Chapter 16

"What do you mean, they're gone?" Nancy was confused and angrier than she's been in a long time.

Bobby's voice sounded far away over the cell phone. "We'll talk about it when you get home. How far out are you?"

"Just crossed over the state line, should be another couple of hours."

"We'll see you in a few."

"Love you."

"Love you too, darling." Nancy slipped the phone into the small breast pocket of her leather jacket.

Dean pulled his eyes from the road and patted the empty space next to him. "What's going on?"

Nancy seethed and her teeth were paying the price as she worked her jaw. She fought the urge to reach into her pocket and throw the cell phone out the open window. Giving in to Dean's request, she slid next to him and felt the heat of his hand through the denim on her thigh. "Dad says Sammy and Nicole are gone."

"What do you mean, they're gone?" Anger flashed in his green eyes.

Nancy found it suddenly difficult to focus on the topic at hand, arousal blossomed in the pit of her stomach. "That's what I asked. He just said we'd talk about it when we got home. I have a feeling I know what it's about."

"Do tell." Curiosity coated his words.

Nancy watched his face closely, this was as touchy a subject with him as it was with John. "Sammy filled out applications for college."

Dean worked his jaw, just as Nancy had moments ago. She watched as his hand tightened on the steering wheel and felt his fingertips dig into her thigh. "You think he got accepted."

"He's a smart kid, perfect GPA; they'd be stupid not to accept him." The atmosphere changed 180 degrees as Dean fell silent. "Are you mad?"

"Huh? No… I don't know."

"You had to know he was going to leave."

"I know he wanted to, I didn't think he'd follow through with it."

"He wasn't made for this life –"

"And you think I was? You think I wanted this?"

"Dean, I didn't –"

Both hands gripped the wheel. "Forget it."

Nancy knew better than to push things. Dean didn't want to talk so she didn't talk. She slid back to her spot by the window and focused on the passing trees and houses as they cruised through town after town. Finally, they pulled into Singer Auto and she was out of the car like a shot. She almost collided with Bobby as he rounded the corner. John was seated in the kitchen, a half empty glass of bourbon clasped in his hands.

Bobby wrapped the girl in his arms and dropped his voice. "Sammy got into Stanford, full ride. Nicole went with him."

In that moment, she felt so proud of Sam and all that he had and would accomplish. It was quickly replaced by anger as it flared to life and she stomped into the kitchen. "You did this."

John was up and in her face before she could blink. "He abandoned me, us. I didn't do anything!"

"Bullshit! You've never wanted him to have a normal life and now that he's been offered that, you feel rejected!" Nancy stood her ground and practically spit as she spoke.

"This isn't your family, you don't get to talk to me like that!"

"You already lost half your family this morning, you really wanna lose more? Keep it up!" Nancy's voice boomed through the small room.

Bobby placed a hand on John's arm and ducked as a fist sailed through the air. John wavered on liquored up legs. Dean ran in the house and stepped between the older men, his hand on John's chest while Bobby was at his back. "Dad, knock it off."

"Get her away from me." A thick finger was in Nancy's face and it shook with anger.

Nancy blinked furiously at the tears that threatened to fall. "No problem, sir."

Dean watched as Nancy ran from the room and up into her room, the door slammed hard and shuddered the whole wall. "Nice one, dad."

Bobby sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'll go talk to her. John, it might be a good idea if you leave. Tonight."

"You want him to leave? Man can barely drive." Dean looked down at Bobby incredulously.

The remaining liquor was quickly swallowed. "I'm fine, Dean. I can drive."

"Like hell you can."

Green eyes met Bobby's and with one nod he slid his hat back on his head. "Tomorrow morning, first thing, you're gone." John gave a wave of his hand as he filled his glass almost to the brim. Bobby bit his tongue before he turned and made his way up the stairs and down the hall. He rapped his knuckles lightly on the door. "Darlin'? Can I come in?"

The door crept open when Nancy answered. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, her hands clasped in her lap and a picture frame was lying on the floor; shards of glass littered the floor. It was taken the summer after Bobby took guardianship of the girls; they were having a barbeque. All seven of them huddled around the small picnic table and laughed as Bobby tried setting the timer on the camera only to have it go off too early or too late. They got one good picture and it was currently on the floor of the bedroom.

Bobby sat down next to Nancy and placed an arm around her shoulders. "I don't blame you for wanting to hit him. Hell, I wanna hit him."

"He's such an asshole sometimes." Nancy wiped at her nose with the back of her hand.

"He's not mad at you."

"Could've fooled me."

"This is a fight we're never gonna win."

"I know." Nancy sighed with resignation and placed her head on Bobby's shoulder. The weight of his atop hers was comforting. His fingers spread over her arm, squeezed and comforted until her neck started to grow stiff. She placed a kiss on his cheek and forced a smile. "You hungry?"

The older man's eyes sparkled. "Yeah. You want help?"

"I'll always need your help."

**2005**

A sound from downstairs ripped Sam from his sleep. Nicole shifted against his back and by her breathing, he could tell she hadn't heard the noise. Sam pushed easily off the bed and avoided the spots on the floor that creaked. Downstairs, he can hear the sounds of nature thanks to the open window. He caught a male form as it moved past the string of beads Nic hung a couple months ago; Sam quickly moved to another hiding spot and waited until the intruder entered the room.

Sam lunged forward and grabbed the intruder's shoulder. The man seemed to sense the movement and knocked Sam's arm away and went on the offense by aiming a punch at Sam. Sam ducked out of the way only to have his arm grabbed. The man used Sam's weight and swung him around before Sam was shoved back. Sam kicked his long leg but he wasn't fast enough, it was blocked. The man pushed Sam back into an adjoining room. The moonlight streamed in through the blinds and highlighted features of the man's face, he took this opportunity to throw an elbow in Sam's face. Even though Sam was trained in hand to hand combat, the man was faster and knocked Sam to the ground. He is pinned with a hand to his neck and another to his wrist.

The man's tone is playful and light. "Whoa, easy tiger."

Sam is out of breath when he realized who the intruder was. "Dean? His older brother's laughter is acknowledgement enough for him. "You scared the crap out of me."

"That's cuz you're out of practice." Sam grabbed Dean's hand and pulled, his heel connected with Dean's back and it's his brother's turn to be on the floor. "Or not. Get off of me."

Sam rolled to his feet and pulled his brother off the floor. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Dean's expression is playful. "I was looking for a beer."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Ok. We gotta talk."

"Last I checked, the phones were invented for that reason."

"If I called, would you have picked up?"

The room is suddenly flooded with light. "Sam?"

Dean and Sam both turned their heads. Dean let his eyes fall onto Nicole's womanly features and smiled appreciatively. "Oh, I love the smurfs."

Nicole rolled her eyes and shifted her weight. She felt as if she was wearing much less than her shirt and boy short striped underwear. "Let me put something on."

"No, no, no. I wouldn't dream of it. Seriously. Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here. Talk about private family business." It's not like Nicole didn't know the truth of their life, she lived it for several years.

Sam shook his head. "No." Long legs carried him to Nicole and a just as long arm is draped over her shoulder. "Whatever you want to say, you can say in front of her."

"Ok. Dad hasn't been home in a few days."

"So he's working overtime on a Miller time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later."

Dean ducked his head and flicked his tongue over his bottom lip before a knock came from the front door. Dean took control and unlocked the door before he opened it. Nancy strode in and took her place beside Dean. The sisters shared a warm smile, even though they hadn't seen each other in several months. "Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days."

**THE END**


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